Sir Aaron's Apprentice OLD
by Stephy825
Summary: There is a rewritten version available for this in this account: Arata Iwaku. Please check it out, but you are free to read this sucky, original version too. :D
1. Prologue

Prologue

It was a beautiful and peaceful day as Brock, the eldest of the group was cooking some soup for their lunch and Dawn was practicing for her upcoming Pokémon Contest. Ash was leaning on a thick tree trunk resting under the shade while his pokémon were playing with each other. Everything was so serene that it gave the trainer some time to think of his past adventures. He hadn't reminisce about them for some time...Ash does this once in a while to help him remember the many people that he has encountered in his long journey.

Out of the blue an image of a pokémon and his master came into his mind. It has been what, a year since he last saw them? Even though the black-haired trainer only met him once, he still missed them...a lot. "Lucario...I wonder if you're with Sir Aaron right now..?" he muttered to himself as he gazed at the clear blue sky.

He grinned when he saw Pikachu bouncing around with Turtwig and Buizel, and Buneary was close behind them. He chuckled; it was cute that the normal type pokémon had a crush on his partner. Ash just hoped that she wouldn't get too carried away with it.

"Excuse me..." a voice came out of nowhere. The trainer turned and saw a person who seemed like the same age as he. The boy had long blue hair tied up to a high ponytail, blood red eyes, a dark blue short-sleeved shirt with two cyan lines in the middle, dark gray pants and white rubber shoes. "May I sit with you?" he asked with a sincere tone while showing a smile.

"S-sure..." the mysterious boy thanked him and sat on the soft grass.

"You know one of these days; your innocent and trusting attitude will put you at risk."

"H-huh?" the stranger laughed at Ash's confusion.

"Do not worry, there are many advantageous factors concerning your upbeat personality." the strange boy still flashed that big smile.

"He looks like my age but he speaks like he knows a lot..." the trainer thought.

"You were just thinking about my manner of speaking weren't you?"

"U-uhm..." he stuttered bashfully.

"It is alright...my brother also sees it as something what most humans would call _'weird'_." the stranger replied in a calm tone.

"You have a brother?" Ash asked with curiosity.

"We are twins...but when you look at us you would assume otherwise. You might say we are hardly related, yet _sadly_ it is true." the black-haired trainer wondered why he used the word 'sadly' in the sentence. It couldn't have been that bad right..? "Oh yes, I might as well get to why am I here in the first place." the boy cut in his thoughts.

"Why you are here-?"

"Forgive me Ash." out of the blue a bright sky blue sphere appeared in his hand. He then thrust it on to the trainer, causing him to vanish in to thin air. But for the stranger, he merely teleported...

He sighed. "Why did I even agree to this in the first place? This is all that idiot's fault. I hate being dared."

The boy continued to mumble to himself as he walked away from the huge tree and the peaceful scenery. Glancing back once at the two other people that was there, he exhaled. "Three...two...one..." and then he himself disappeared.

* * *

**A/N : **And here I thought I was going to just focus on one story. Now I have another. *sigh*...anyway, can you guess who the boy is? Either way, you will be given a really big hint in the next chapter. Don't worry the next chapter's going to be way better than this one.


	2. Thrust Back

Chapter 1 – Thrust Back

A small moan broke the silence in the quiet forest as Ash used the strength he had left to stand up. For some reason he felt really exhausted, as if he had been running for quite some time, but he hasn't. The trainer scanned his surroundings and tried to figure out where he was. No such luck; he was lost. "Hello?" he called in hopes for someone to respond. "Brock? Dawn? Pikachu? Anybody..?" Ash already had a bad feeling he wasn't where he used to be. What did that boy do to him? He recalled the last words he heard before he blacked out. _'Forgive me Ash.'_

"How did he know my name..? I...I never said it to him..." he mumbled.

The trainer decided to walk further in the dark forest to see if he could end up somewhere. A town would be nice...at least a place with people in it, then he could ask where he was.

Ash only trotted a couple meters though when he found himself standing on a narrow cliff...and facing an amazing view. He could see a village not far from where he was, and also a magnificent castle on the horizon. It was like he was seeing something centuries ago, because he couldn't recall an area that looked like this-"Wait a sec!" the scene looked really familiar to him, like he had seen this before. But where? In a book of sorts..? Or maybe in a painting...

The crag wasn't that high up from the ground below, so he took position and defied gravity for a few seconds before landing on a soft bush before stepping on the grass. Thankfully the shrub was big, or he may have gotten some injuries in the process. He was close to the settlement, Ash was sure of it because he could hear the hustle and bustle of a market and the sound of a river. The boy ran avoiding the trees and branches blocking his way and was surprised by the sudden bright light that shone on his eyes when he came out of the big group of plants.

He soon adjusted to the brightness and gazed at what he saw. Ash saw people tilling fields with hoes and their bare hands; he saw children playing tag as if they had no care in the world; he saw pokémon helping out the other humans by carrying large crates of goods in to the market; he saw houses made of wood and stone instead of cement; and he saw the castle that loomed over the entire village in its glory. The boy also then realized their clothing were as if they were from a long time ago, like the time when Sir Aaron-

"Wait...the castle-can it be-?" his thoughts were interrupted when he saw a man dressed in a blue and grey outfit with blue boots, matching gloves with both a jewel attached to it, a midnight blue cape and a black and blue hat. Beside him was a pokémon he would recognize anywhere. "_L-lucario_?"

"Master, shouldn't we be training?" the jackal-like creature asked. Sir Aaron showed him a brief smile. "We have to rest sometimes...and the Queen said we needed to help the chef with his ingredients."

"But...why _us_? Wouldn't it be better for someone else to do it?" the man chuckled. "Yes, but it gives us time also to enjoy life's simple pleasures while we can."

Ash couldn't believe it. Here he was; seeing the two heroes that sacrificed themselves to save the palace alive and well. "B-but how is this possible?" he muttered in shock.

_"Simple. Time Travel."_ another voice suddenly came out. The boy jumped and quickly turned to see who it was. But there was no one talking to him; was it just his imagination?_ "What are you waiting for? I thought you wanted to meet Sir Aaron in the flesh?" _the voice went again.

"Who are you?"

_"...that I cannot say, but all I can tell you is that you must be cautious of what you do here. Or you may end up changing the future more than you have previously thought."_

"Can you bring me back to my friends?"

_"Why the rush boy? You wished to meet the hero and here he is. Take the chance while you have it, or you'll end up losing that single one."_ out of the blue Ash felt the presence that was talking to him disappear. "Great, just great." he mumbled. But whoever he was conversing with was right, he wanted to meet Sir Aaron...but he didn't think it would come true. The trainer had to face reality though. He was in the past, and the man was still alive along with Lucario. The war probably hasn't started yet since nobody looked agitated in any way. He felt nervous, but what the heck? He ran to catch up with the pair.

The child soon found himself in front of the castle gate that guarded Cameran palace. The view was still breath-taking, but how was he going to get inside?

All of a sudden his fatigue had caught up with him, making him fall on his knees while panting heavily. Ash didn't eat lunch either, and he was seriously hungry. The boy's vision began to blur unexpectedly, and he felt wobbly too. "Oh man...I never...knew...I...was...so...tired..." he muttered before he collapsed on the ground.

-o-

Ash groaned and opened his eyes. He blinked a few times and he slowly sat up from where he was and rubbed his head with his hand. To his surprise, he was sitting on a soft bed with a thin blanket on top of his body, and when he turned he was faced with a window that showed the whole village below him. "Where am I..?"

"I see you are awake." a man's voice came beside him. Ash didn't notice there was someone there, and that person to be Sir Aaron. "We found you outside the castle gate. Can you explain how you ended up there in that state?" the boy still couldn't believe that it was really the Aura Guardian in front of him; speaking to him. That's when Lucario entered the room with a tray filled with food.

"I have what you have requested Master." the aura pokémon said as he handed it to the boy.

"Thank you Lucario." Sir Aaron then turned to Ash. "I assumed you must be famished so I asked for them to prepare some food for you."

"T-thanks..." he said in gratitude as he picked up a piece of bread and took a small bite. He was a little surprised at how good it tasted and soon found himself gobbling up the whole thing. The trainer took another piece and ate it as well in happiness. "This bread tastes great!" he said with his mouth filled with mush up food.

The Aura Guardian chuckled. "I'm glad you like it so much."

"Hey um...thank you for taking me in..." Ash suddenly murmured while staring at the empty tray.

"You are most welcome. My name is Aaron, what about yours?"

"My name is-" out of the blue the same voice that was talking to him not long ago spoke again. _"Do not use your real name. Trust me you won't regret it."_

The boy immediately followed what it said. "M-my name is Aiden. Nice to meet you Aaron."

_What the heck did I just name myself?_

"Aiden..." the man gave a soft smile which made Ash less tense about the situation he was in. "So what were you doing there on the ground..?"

"I-I was..." he started. This was bad, he couldn't think of any excuse at all. The elder male seemed to have noticed this, and changed the subject. "Where are your parents?"

"My _parents_?" he repeated. Ash didn't expect that question. "...they're not here. Honestly...I never met my dad...and I haven't seen my mom for three years now." at least that was the truth. He just left some of the major details out. Like the reason why he hasn't seen her was that he was on a journey to be the best trainer. Still, this could work to his benefit.

"Oh...so you live with someone else?"

"I travel with my pokémon and my two companions and go to different places. But I got separated from them recently and I've been trying to look for them ever since." the child was surprised how quickly he was able to come up with the story. Was it really this easy to lie to another? Well, it was sort of true in a sense anyhow.

"I see...if you want to, you can stay here for the night."

"Thank you...it means a lot." Ash only then recalled that Lucario was there with them in the room and hasn't said a single thing. The aura pokémon just stood there, leaned on a wall with his arms folded and a serious expression on his face. He looked back to Sir Aaron and the man smiled. "You do not have to worry about Lucario, he won't hurt you." the child knew the steel/fighting type wouldn't attempt such an act, but the cold glare was intimidating him.

Out of the blue Sir Aaron stood up from his seat. "I apologize Aiden, but I must leave now."

Ash smiled. "It's fine. Thank you again for letting me stay here."

"You are most welcome." he replied. "Let us go Lucario."

"Yes Master." and with that the two of them left the room and closed the brown door behind them.

The boy sighed as he shifted his view to the scenery. "This is definitely not a dream, and I just met Sir Aaron too. So that guy...he brought me to the past..." he looked down on his two hands. "How am I going to get back to Brock and Dawn? I can't depend on the same person to pull me back..." as Ash thought of this, he did not notice that the pair were standing outside of his room. But they couldn't hear what the onyx-haired trainer had mumbled to himself.

"Master...his aura..."

"Is the same as mine." the man finished. "This is interesting...maybe he can be trained to be an Aura Guardian as well."

"Y-you're going to take him in?" Lucario asked; clearly surprised.

"...it is possible."

The pokémon did not like his teacher's grin one bit.

* * *

**A/N : **Sorry for all the confusion and over-use of dialogues, but well, it was really hard to approach this chapter you know. ^ ^;; I never knew this story would grab so much attention even though I only wrote down the Prologue. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Oh yeah, please don't judge why I used the name 'Aiden'...my little sister said it was too cool for Ash to think on the spot. But...but...I like it! XDD

Please Review~


	3. What They Both Wanted

Chapter 2 - What They Both Wanted

"Hey, wake up."

Ash turned away from the sound and continued to sleep. "Ignore me, eh..?"

No response.

"...fine, have it your way."

The boy wearily opened one eye and sat up from his bed. He then shifted his view to the left sleepily. "Oh, it's just a Hyper Beam..." he muttered. Ash nearly fell asleep again until he realized what he had just said. "Wait, _what_?" he was shocked to see the same boy that got him in to this in the first place standing in the room. But he wasn't concerned about that; he was more worried about the orange, glowing energy ball in his hand. It looked like it could blast him to bits at any moment..! "Good, you're awake. I knew a threat would wake you up." he muttered while showing a smirk as he dispersed the sphere easily.

"I-it's _you_..!" the black-haired male stuttered as he pointed at him accusingly. "You're the one that sent me back in time!"

"Well _duh_, don't tell me it took you that long to come up with that conclusion." the red-eyed boy replied with a small huff. Ash stared at him for a couple of moments in shock. "Oh. You're still stunned that I could have nearly killed with you with that Hyper Beam."

"S-so it really was an attack..."

"Yeah. Anyhow, I think now's the perfect-" the mysterious boy was cut off when Ash suddenly lunged at him and held him back to a wall. He was gripping his shirt tightly and looked furious. "Bring me back to my time. _Now_." he demanded.

The blue-haired boy's surprised face turned into a sneer. "I honestly didn't expect you to threaten me this early...especially after showing you what I can do." he said with a taunting voice. "Remember I can turn you to a pile of embers in a single second. Don't push your luck _boy_." he effortlessly shoved him back, causing the trainer to stumble back on his bed. Ash grunted as he glared at his opponent.

"I cannot tell you everything," he started while wearing an emotionless face. "but I can say that I can't bring you back until I fulfill the wish you requested before."

"I already met him; there is nothing else that I want." the onyx-haired male retorted while doing a swift motion with his arm.

"Oh _really_? You know you desired more than that. You just don't want to admit it to me like this." his playful smirk reappeared. "Well, it looks like my time is up. I have to go now." the unidentified boy leaped and landed on the windowsill. But before he did anything else he turned back to the teen. "Good luck Ash." and then he jumped.

The black-haired boy quickly looked outside to see where he went, but already he was gone. Not a single trace of him left. He slumped back on to his bed and sighed.

"...what...I wished for..." he muttered as he recalled what the boy said to him. Ash then covered his face with his hand as he mumbled what he innocently mused before he was dragged into this mess. "I had wished to save Sir Aaron...from sacrificing himself."

-o-

It was morning, and Aaron thought to drop by on their guest since Lucario was still sleeping after training session yesterday. His friend hasn't been sleeping well, and it was good that he was finally catching up on it. The Aura Guardian did not bother disturbing the peaceful look on the Pokemon's face and left the room.

He soon arrived in front of the brown wooden door and gently knocked on it a few times. "Aiden?"

There was no reply, and the man chose to turn the knob and step in. Aaron was surprised that the place was empty and the boy was nowhere to be seen. This wasn't much of a problem though, he couldn't have gone that far, and he was still thinking of asking him to stay with them in the castle. The dark blue-haired male started to focus his energy in pinpointing his target, and soon enough he sensed it nearby; his identical aura on the palace garden.

Ash stood motionless as he gazed at the clear blue sky above him. He was filled with thoughts and questions about the encounter he had last night. Wearing a serious expression, he didn't notice Aaron walking towards him until he heard his voice behind him. "Aiden." the teen was taken aback by his sudden appearance since he was just thinking about him. "Aaron..."

The man smiled. "You seem deep in thought. Mind telling me what is the matter?" he asked while gesturing him to sit down with him on a large smooth marble slab. Ash showed a small smile as he followed him and sat beside him. "I'm just thinking about what my friends are doing...that's all." the boy lied.

"Can you tell me about them?" Ash could tell that Aaron was interested in them.

"Alright...where to begin...I'll start off with my starter Pokémon and my buddy Pikachu. He's really nice and a powerful partner to have as well. We've been through everything together ever since I started my journey." his grin grew bigger as he recalled all the fond memories he had with his best friend. "And then not long after I met Pikachu, I became friends with Brock, an amazing guy who can cook the most delicious food and strives to be the best Pokémon Breeder. He's great with Pokémon and always watches out for us. Then not that long ago I met Dawn who was just beginning her own adventure. She's kind and fun to hang around with and wants to be top coordinator like her mom." Ash exhaled as he looked back up at the sky.

"I've met many amazing and great people in my journey...and I don't regret anything for taking this path either."

All this time Aaron stayed silent and listened to his story. "It must be nice to live a life like that."

"It is...but I sometimes wish I could meet them again...I mean, I know I will but...I guess there are so many places in the world to visit again that I have no idea where to begin."

The Aura Guardian smiled. "You're _young_. You have all the time in the world to do what you want Aiden." Ash still felt uncomfortable when Aaron used his made-up name. It felt strange, but he had to live with it for the time being. "Aiden..."

"Yeah?"

"You know...what an Aura Guardian is don't you?"

"Uh huh..." the teen had a feeling where this was going. "You already noticed my aura."

Aaron nodded. "To be frank, I never thought I would find another person with the same aura signature as I do." he glanced at the black-haired boy and looked back at the garden. "I ask you this Aiden...would you want to know how to harness your own aura?"

Ash fell silent after that. He was considering what to do...he could say no, but then what would that do? He would be left alone to travel this time line. Maybe he'll never go back to the time line in where he belonged. This was his only chance for him to stay with Sir Aaron and indirectly, his only option for him to get back to Brock, Dawn, and Pikachu. "Yeah, it will be awesome if I could do such a thing." he replied. "Are you...thinking about..."

"Teaching you?" Aaron finished. "Yes, I am. It feels interesting to see how far your powers go since our auras are similar."

To himself Ash was celebrating that he was able to get to stay at the castle longer. But to his friend he simply beamed. "I-I can't thank you enough..."

"Are you sure your companions won't mind you staying here?"

"No need to worry." he was surprised that he actually used Dawn's catchphrase in a situation like this.

"That's good. The only problem would be how my other student Lucario handles this."

"I-I'm sure it'll be fine."

Ash said that even though he wasn't sure at all.

* * *

**A/N : **Yay I updated~I honestly like the first part better than the second because well, I love using that character...which I cannot tell you who it is yet. But you've got a hint going on, he can use a Hyper Beam. That means he's got to be something...well, just think about it.

Please Review okay? I like reviews~they make me happy.


	4. The Basics

Chapter 3 - The Basics

"You _what_?" Lucario yelled with shock and anger. "M-master! _Why_..? Why are you teaching this child even though he has no experience at all?"

"Lucario, calm down. I honestly see nothing to be furious about." Aaron replied as mildly as he could. Ash didn't like this one bit. He didn't think the pokémon would be that mad at him...

"T-there are many reasons why I don't want a boy here! First, it's going to hinder our training. Second, he's going to distract you. Third, you don't even know this boy and you're already taking him in! Isn't _'Do not trust strangers'_ some kind of basic rule that you humans follow?"

The Aura Guardian sighed. "I can assure you he is not a threat. Either way, we are going to start with the necessary training today to help Aiden on his feet. If you still refuse to join us Lucario, you can practice with improving your Aura Sphere."

Instead of retorting, the pokémon simply growled and gritted his teeth while he glared at Ash. With a snarl, he left the room he was sleeping in just minutes ago and left the two humans inside. The boy was about to follow him, but Aaron raised his arm to block his way. "It'll be better to apologize to him when he calms down. For now, let's head to the forest."

"A-are you sure it's alright to leave Lucario like this?" he asked while showing concern. The man simply smiled. "He has to handle this on his own." he started to walk towards a small cabinet and took out two gloves that were similar to what he was wearing. "Here." he handed them to the trainer and gestured him to put them on. Ash did so, and felt like he could really feel his aura in his palm; like it was a power that was recently awakened. "I'm glad that they fit you perfectly. Those were the gloves I used to train with when I was younger."

Ash couldn't do anything but stare at them in wonder. "Come Aiden, we can't waste the day just admiring things. It's time to put your aura to the test."

"R-right." he nodded and followed Aaron outside. The teen was trying to see if he could spot Lucario nearby, but throughout the many halls and corridors that he passed by, he couldn't see the jackal-like creature anywhere. "He's probably avoiding me..." he thought while glancing at the Aura Guardian once in a while. He still couldn't get over how cool it was to be beside him. He was a hero after all..."And I'm just a trainer that has the same aura as him." he didn't feel comfortable to be hanging out with a guy like Sir Aaron.

On the roof of the castle and unbeknownst to the two, there sat a duo of boys that were listening to the entire conversation...even Ash's thoughts. "So brother, are you enjoying my dare?" the younger one asked while showing a big grin. The boy had long pink hair that went past his shoulder and had red eyes just like his brother's. His clothes consisted of a short-sleeved purple jacket and a pink shirt, two white and purple half-finger gloves each with a pink orb in the middle, grey pants and simple leather shoes.

The other didn't seem as amused. "I can't believe you got me in to this Palkia."

"Yeah yeah, it's not my fault that the person happened to be Ash Ketchum." he turned to the horizon. "By the way, did you visit our cousins of this dimension already?"

"Not a chance, those two are too hardheaded and stubborn to let me in their domain. If I were to try going in, cousin Dialga and/or Palkia would blast me to bits."

"Another reason why I feel lucky that we're both in equal terms." the spatial pokémon beamed. "Anyhow, how long are you going to take helping Ash out in his little wish?"

Dialga shrugged. "Not sure. Given the circumstances, a month would be enough. Besides, the war would come around at that time."

His brother's expression looked more serious at the mention of the upcoming battle. "We're still not allowed to interfere..." he muttered sadly while moving his legs. "You already told me that before."

The time deity gave a soft smile. "Still worried about the people who are going to be involved?"

"Promise me you won't let Ash get hurt alright? He's not even supposed to be here in the first place."

"Haha, I knew you were going to say that. We can't let the boy know who we are though...yet he may have figured it out on his own if he was smart enough."

"So won't it be more risky if you keep on showing yourself?" the older male let out a chuckle.

"I'll take my chances." the both of them stood up. "Time to part ways then." they both said. When they realized that they uttered it at the same time, they both laughed. "Good luck then Dialga."

"Don't go overboard with messing around with the trainers alright Palkia?"

"Yeah yeah..." the blue-haired boy ruffled his younger brother's hair. "See you later!" he grinned. With that, the space deity opened a hole and walked through it, leaving the legendary by himself.

"See you soon..." Dialga muttered back, even though he was alone.

-o-

"Here it is. Our training ground." Aaron smiled as the child gazed at the huge forest. "Y-you mean...this _entire_ forest?"

"That's correct. Besides harnessing our aura and learning how to use it, we also help lost villagers that get lost in here and assist pokémon that get into fights and etcetera."

"Wow..." the boy couldn't help but to be amazed by all the things that the Aura Guardian was introducing him to.

The pair went deeper in to the grove as he stayed close to Aaron in case he would get lost. The trees made the path they were walking on unusually dark, and for some reason it made him feel uneasy. The man noticed this and chuckled to himself. "Do not worry Aiden; we're almost to the clearing."

As he said, Ash soon a bright light coming from the end and soon found himself in a green meadow. It was way bigger than he had previously thought, and there were even a few Pokémon roaming around the grassy plain. "Alright Aiden, I assume that this would be your first time using your aura is it?"

"W-well...I've tried..._once_..." the child sputtered while looking down.

"Haha, is that so? Then let's see how much you know." in a split second, Aaron summoned a small light blue sphere in his palm. It radiated a bright light that looked almost beautiful...until the man shot it directly at Ash. The boy barely dodged it and landed on the ground with a thud while the ball hit the tree and left a burnt mark. "W-what was that for?" he stuttered as he used his arms to stand.

"Just a little warm up." the Aura Guardian smirked. "Not bad Aiden."

"That's...not funny Aaron." he panted.

"Tired already?"

"_N-no_!" Ash retorted.

The older male laughed. "You're fun to tease you know Aiden. I could never do this with Lucario."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" the boy smirked back. "C'mon Aaron, let's start training so that I can get you back."

"I like your spirit Aiden. We shall begin with aura sensing then."

"I'm ready." the trainer said confidently.

The man beamed as he went closer to him and patted his shoulder. "Alright, first of all, to sense other people's aura is not one user learns, but instead feels."

"Uuh, what does that mean?"

"I'm not that good in explaining these kinds of things..." Aaron said while rubbing the back of his head with his hand; smiling sheepishly. "But once you experience it, it's pretty easy to get the hang of."

"Oh...kay..."

"Rather than describing to you through words, I'll show you." the man closed his eyes and took a couple of steps back. "Aiden, punch me."

"_W-what_?"

"I said punch me." there was a few moments of silence between the two.

"Are you sure?" Aaron nodded. "O-okay then..." Ash quickly broke in to a run with his fist ready. As he was about to make contact though the other male swiftly dodged and jumped to the left. "_Again_." the boy tried to do so, but the man kept avoiding all of his attacks with ease. After throwing about twelve punches, Ash rested on his knees as he breathed heavily.

"Now it's your turn to dodge." he said.

"Huh? Y-you mean…do what you just did?"

"Exactly. Now close your eyes...and do not open them at any cost."

"A-Aaron! I-I can't-!"

"Yes, you can. I believe you can do it." he showed a reassuring smile. "Don't be afraid of getting hit. Just focus on which direction you have to move to evade my strikes."

"B-but-"

"You said you wanted to get back on me didn't you? Or were those just words?" that sparked something in Ash...his usual self returned. "I'm...I'm not scared anymore."

"Good." the boy closed his eyes and was surrounded by darkness. Instead of relying in his ears, he tried to focus the aura in his eyes to sense Aaron's in front of him.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

Aaron took one step and lunged with his first attack.

* * *

**A/N : **So...sorry again with the over-use of dialogues. But I couldn't help it really. Haha...anyhow, were you surprised that Dialga and Palkia were here? Or maybe you knew all this time? Either way, it would be cool to hear your comments about this. I used a little reference from _Why Not?_...you know, that little one-shot I made?

I honestly have no idea how Aura Users train, so I'm just gonna wing it. Please Review! :D


	5. The Training

Chapter 4 - The Training

Ash wasn't good at following instructions...everyone knew that. So when Aaron told him to close his eyes, he did so, but it didn't mean that he would close them the entire time.

You can call it instinct when the boy quickly opened them and fell on the ground before the punch hit him in the face. "_S-sorry_..!" he swiftly apologized. "I...I wasn't focusing hard enough."

The man simply smirked. "It took me some time to master this too Aiden. Take your time...though you probably don't want to do such since it means more bruises." the trainer flinched. He had to get it right as fast as he could then.

"Ready for Round Two?" the Aura Guardian asked while going in a fighting stance.

"Yep, I'm ready!" the child replied confidently as he closed his eyes.

Aaron took another step and pushed himself forward, though instead of using his aura, Ash simply anticipated the move and dodged it. Even if it worked for the first attack, he then forgot that it was continuous...which resulted in the black-haired boy getting punched on the cheek. He nearly toppled over but was able to balance himself. He didn't get off that round unhurt though. "_Ooow_...that stung..." he muttered as he winced in pain.

"You're not concentrating Aiden. Not all attacks are going to reveal themselves you know." the man said.

"I-I know that..."

"Then why didn't you prove it awhile ago?" the boy didn't know how to counter the question thrown at him. "Ugh...okay, let's go again." Ash responded.

This time, he tried to sense the aura within him...he had no clue how to do it, but there was a sort of fleeting feeling in his body for a small moment. He attempted to do it once more, and it did. Now he just needed to focus that energy to his eyes...

Aaron smiled; he was really making an effort this time. "Let's see if you will be able to avoid this one." he thought as he readied his fist and lunged forward.

For a split second, Ash saw a figure moving even though he was only seeing darkness. He saw an arm quickly approaching him, and he moved away. He then saw the same light blue outline rapidly draw near, and he evaded it again. _"So this is what he meant!"_ the auras grew clearer and clearer in his eyes...before he was enclosed in a black world, now he could see the life in the trees around him. He could see his teacher's whole body even though he wasn't opening his eyes. Everything was radiating crystal blue flames...and Aaron's was the largest.

The Aura Guardian smiled proudly. "He got it."

-o-

Aaron led his student to a nearby river to take a break. Though Ash may have gotten how to use aura sensing, they kept on training to perfect it so that it will be permanent and it will come as soon as the user closes his eyes. For the child, it didn't kick in as swiftly, and surprisingly, there were times where he couldn't see anything at all and he would be defenseless. Still, the world in aura was pretty amazing...though he didn't have the time to admire it since he would get hit on the nose if he did.

"Good work Aiden. You're progressing quicker than I expected." the man congratulated as he leaned on a rock to relax.

"Thanks." the trainer replied as he washed his face with water from the shallow river. "How long did it take you to master it Aaron?"

"Hm...maybe...about five days or so. The method my teacher was using before wasn't as dangerous as the one we're doing you see."

"Oh..." Ash sighed and let his body fall on the soft grass. He was gazing at the blue sky now, and was thinking about everyone in his time. "I wonder how they're doing?" he mused. He let exhaustion take him and fell asleep for a couple of minutes with a peaceful expression. Ash liked this place; forests and surroundings like these tend to remind him that there are indeed moments that can be perfect. Nobody's perfect, but memories can. He wouldn't mind staying like this forever...

Suddenly, Pikachu's cry echoed in his head. That made him wake up with a start. The boy looked down and gazed at the river...other joyful memories rushing into his mind. "_Pikachu_..."

-o-

Throughout the day, they continued to train on Ash's aura sensing. After punching, Aaron thought that he was ready for something more challenging...hence the logs. The boy was stunned at how fast they were moving and nearly got hit before his mentor saved him...bridal style. "Too close."

"T-thanks Aaron..." he stuttered since he somehow felt awkward about it. "Be careful next time Aiden."

"O-okay..." at the next attempts, Ash was improving little by little. But he was still getting grazed by avoiding the large trunks. By sunset, the Aura Guardian told him that they'll stop for the day and head back to the castle. In truth, he was concerned about the numerous scratches on the child's back and arms...at the same time Ash didn't look like he was going to cease training any time soon. Once they stopped, the child realized how tired he was...using aura was like spending energy...only multiplied by two. He would have collapsed on the grass if it not were for Aaron catching him.

The way back was met with silence because Ash fell asleep and the man had to carry him on his back. For some reason, his slow and steady breathing calmed Aaron...a light feeling arousing inside when he glances at the boy every now and then.

He remembered how much he looked up to his master...how he was like a father to him. Maybe...this was the feeling his mentor experienced with him. "He hasn't met his father for a long time..." he muttered to himself. "I wonder...if I can try to be one to him. Just like Teacher..."

Aaron didn't know that two legendaries overheard what he was thinking about. "Stop giggling Palkia...you'll blow our cover..." Dialga whispered in annoyance. The pair were sitting/standing on a branch; jumping to another once in a while to catch up with them.

"But it's so cute..!" he replied while he was muffling his own chuckles. "Those two look really good together. I wouldn't be surprised if many people thought Ash was his son or something."

"I thought you just said he wasn't supposed to be in this time line."

"Don't ruin the moment brother!" the blue-haired male sighed. He didn't know that his little brother could be so...squeamish about this stuff. He guessed it was because the only figure he could really look up to was he...Arceus doesn't come that often to their place anymore. Plus, Palkia lives alone..."He must be feeling really giddy about this." he muttered while ruffling his own hair a little, but then he smiled. "He's so naïve sometimes..." the legendary then realized something. "Wait, I thought you went back to our dimension just a couple hours ago!"

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, but I wanted to see Ash and Sir Aaron you know." he replied with an innocent grin.

"Palkia?"

"Hmm?" Dialga bonked him on the head, making a small bump emerged and the younger brother blinking back tiny tears. "_Owww_...what was that for brother?"

"I can't believe how irresponsible you are! Leaving the Time and Space dimensions unguarded? What were you thinking?" he shouted since he was sure the two males were out of ear-shot already.

"I was thinking of father and son fluff?" there was a stiff silence between the two for a couple of moments. "...I should really cut you off the internet more often."

Palkia whimpered.

-o-

"_Master_!"

"Ah Lucario...nice to see you." Aaron replied mildly as he approached the pokémon. The two were standing in front of the castle gate while the sky continued to darken. The jackal-like creature then noticed Ash sleeping soundly on his back. "How did the training go?"

"Better than expected." the man responded. "He's progressing much faster than I thought he would...in fact, he's faster in learning than I am. It's surprising how a child of his age can have so much control over his aura." Lucario didn't look as amused as Aaron was. "Anyhow, let us go inside the castle. It's getting darker out here as we speak."

"Yes Master." he trailed behind his teacher and glared at Ash. Letting a soft growl escape his mouth, he silently followed his current mentor into the walls of the palace. They went to the boy's room first and placed him on the bed; letting him sleep while the two aura users walked to the dining hall to eat dinner. Aaron was always famished after long hours of practice and the food the royal chefs make are always delicious for the Aura Guardian. He wondered if he should have woken up his new apprentice for dinner, but his peaceful expression made him think otherwise. He didn't want to disturb the young boy in his sleep.

Soon it was getting late and the numerous stars were already up high in the sky. Aaron had to avoid sleeping late for it may hinder him the next morning...the same goes for Lucario. So as soon as they were done having their meal, they parted ways and went to their separate rooms. When he closed the door behind him, the man stifled a small yawn and took of his cape and hat. He then looked out of his window and gazed at the scenery for a few moments. Aaron sighed; he just couldn't shake off that feeling that there was something bad going to happen...

"I shouldn't be thinking about something negative...after all, it's not like a war's going to break out or anything..." he smiled to himself and decided to get some sleep.

Besides, tomorrow they still have to perfect that aura sensing of Ash's...and he still has to convince Lucario to join them.

"I'll let the next day worry for itself..." he muttered as he lay down on his pillow. In a matter of minutes, he was fast asleep.

* * *

**A/N : **Aaron has no idea how wrong he is...O.o**  
**

Okay...in a bit of a rush to end this since I have to sleep already. Other than that, yay I'm done with the chapter!...yeah. I hope you enjoyed it. I still like Dialga and Palkia...

Please Review! Pretty please? :D


	6. Tensions

Chapter 5 - Tensions

It was around 3am when the only teen in the castle sleepily woke up. Groaning, he looked around and was surprised that the sky was tainted in purple and black; the town below was quiet and peaceful. Up above in the firmament, there were stars twinkling brightly and the moon slightly covered in the thin clouds.

The boy glanced at the outfit he was given and sighed. Kicking of the blanket from his bed, he touched the floor and grabbed the clothes he wore before he met Sir Aaron; his usual attire when he was traveling the Sinnoh region. After changing and leaving his vest and hat on the mattress, he silently opened the door and stepped out. Ash had no clue why he was doing this at first, but then his stomach kept growling at him and he had no choice but to find the kitchen.

The teen stifled another yawn as he sluggishly walked through the hallway. He only realized now about his lack of sleep when he traveled before, and using so much of his aura just made it worse. He kept on going until he spotted a large door that seemed to lead to a huge room. He grabbed the handle and pulled it, making a loud creaking noise that seemed to echo in the palace. Ash hoped that it didn't wake up anybody and went inside; closing the wooden door behind him. The teen quickly recognized the place to be the dining room due to the large, long table that was in there. He scanned the area for another door, but it wasn't easy in the dark. Soon his eyes adjusted to the lack of light and noticed another door across the room.

Before he could have taken another step though, the light behind him suddenly intensified and he heard steps walking towards him. "What do you think you're doing?" the voice asked; his tone clearly not amused.

"Trying to find some food." Ash replied while yawning again.

"It is dangerous to roam around the palace at this time of night." he scowled.

"Who said I had to follow your orders Lucario?" the teen uttered mildly. The jackal pokémon snarled again in disgust. "You humans are all the same."

"Really? Then what's your opinion on Sir Aaron?" he countered. "Are you going to insult him too?"

Lucario had to resist the urge to punch him in the face. "Master is different. I don't see why he takes pity on you; a worthless child."

Ash's stare didn't waver at the pokemon's retort. "Look, I have no idea why you hate me so much, but Aaron wouldn't like it if we fought." he turned back to the door and avoided the other's death glare. "Anyway, can you show me the kitchen? I'm starving..."

"_Tch_, think you can do whatever you want? I'm here to take you back to your room. You can eat in the morning."

The boy gaped. "But _why_?" he complained. "We're already here in the dining hall right?"

"You were not allowed in here in the first place. Now stop whining and let's go."

Ash hesitated as he looked around the room. With a defeated sigh, the two made their way across the halls and back where he was originally. Lucario then left afterward as swiftly as he came in.

The black-haired trainer grumbled as he changed his clothes and went off to bed.

-o-

"Good morning Aiden." the Aura Guardian greeted with a smile as he bumped in to him (not literally I assure you.)

"Morning Aaron..." he replied while yawning and his eyes slightly teary.

"Anything wrong?" the man asked with concern.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just...hungry."

"Then we better have breakfast soon before we train again today." Ash nodded sleepily. While they were walking together and the teen trying to remember the different paths around the castle, he realized that the place seemed empty. "Where is everybody?"

Aaron frowned. "There have been rumors circling around recently. Nasty ones."

"About..?"

"A group that attacks towns without them knowing and leaves destruction in their path."

Ash was surprised with the news. "If that's the case, then shouldn't the villagers be worried or preparing for it?"

"I have a feeling that it would be better to hide it for now. After all, they're just rumors. But Lady Rin has already taken precautions in case of ever such a situation would happen."

"Do you think they'll strike here?"

"It is possible. The tension in the atmosphere has been growing, and I don't think we can keep this a secret any longer. Some of the villagers have already found out and are gathering supplies. You may have not known, but this place used to be livelier than it is now."

"But...it's just a rumor...why get so worked up about it?" Ash questioned as he gazed at him. The Aura Guardian met his eyes and the teen could sense worry in them.

"...because they are saying that the group happens to use aura...like us."

-o-

Ash kept thinking what Aaron had told him before as he ate his meal with the other people in the castle. He kept his manners in check because Lady Rin was there, and Lucario was glaring at him; like he was saying not to mess up in front of the queen. The teen didn't care about that though; he was more concerned about the 'rumor'.

"Why and when was aura used in the war..? Is this the war that was supposed to take Aaron's life in the first place..?" he thought. He began to try looking for memories of the past; the ones that contained the time he spent in the present...his journey to the Tree of Beginning. He was sure in the projection of the Time Flower that there were two sides going against each other. People and Pokémon, divided in two groups. One red, one blue. Both of them fighting for reasons unknown to Ash. It was all so strange, he never heard of a reason why they were even fighting in the first place. All that he recalled was that the palace was right in the middle, and if Aaron didn't stop them with the help of Mew, the village and the castle wouldn't have survived.

"But what does aura have to do with this..?" he thought as he chewed on some bread. "If it's real, then aura should have played a big role in the war." the boy looked at his hand and closed his eyes. He saw the light blue energy coursing in him, and he continued to wonder about his unanswered questions.

Dialga was also watching and wondering from a safe distance. But he wasn't musing about why aura was used, but more of when Ash will be able to figure everything out. "If all goes well, then it is possible for Ash not only to save that Aura Guardian's life, but to erase the mere existence of the war happening here." he mumbled. "But, I guess that is too much to expect from a boy of his age."

The legendary's neutral expression slowly turned in to a smirk. "Will you be able to put all the pieces together on time..? To alter history in that extent?" he chuckled. "This is going to be interesting indeed."

-o-

"Alright, let us continue with Aura Sensing today Aiden." Aaron said cheerfully after setting up the swinging logs. Ash nodded and went in to place; closing his eyes and focusing his concentration. He could faintly see the aura around him, but it wasn't as clear as last time where he could see all the outlines.

Because of that, he couldn't see the logs moving towards him that well and kept on dodging like he was trying to avoid air. In the dark, he couldn't see where it was coming from, and nearly got hit a few times too. Aaron was already worried and wanted to move to something else, but Ash persuaded him to keep going. "C'mon..._focus_..."

His mind continued to drift until the last second; before impact so that he can move away. The teen was starting to get tired and signaled his teacher to stop which he did almost immediately. The Aura Guardian knew something was bothering his student; the aura he sensed in him was wavering and wasn't filled with spirit unlike yesterday. "Aiden, you're not concentrating." he muttered to him as he helped the trainer get back on his feet.

"I-I know...I'll try harder after I rest."

"No. We're moving on to harnessing your aura. That way, we can try to utilize these two skills at the same time." Ash was shocked, but then hesitantly agreed and took a break. "At least he wouldn't be in danger for now." Aaron thought as he followed him to the river area...yet he did not expect someone else to be there with him. "What are you doing here Lucario?" the boy asked.

"This is my master and my training ground. Not yours. You should leave." the jackal pokémon growled.

"Who said about this being yours? The forest can be visited by anybody, including me."

"You are not wanted here. Now _leave_!" he quickly summoned an Aura Sphere and threw it at Ash. The trainer quickly avoided it, causing the attack to leave a large burnt mark on the tree behind him.

"What's your problem? Do you really think Aaron would want this?" the teen shouted in annoyance and anger. Lucario scowled. "You are not an Aura Guardian and have no purpose in this village. You may not be aware of it, but maybe because of your presence, you may attract some unwanted visitors."

"_Like_?"

"The dark aura users."

Ash was starting to make his own sphere now. "You think-" the ball of bright blue light grew bigger in his palm. "-that I am the one-" his face showing genuine rage. "-causing the war?" he shouted as he hurled the energy ball at the pokémon. Lucario caught it easily; breaking it with his hand. "Strangers...are not to be trusted."

This time, the jackal-like creature rushed towards him with amazing speed, if it not for Aaron cutting in their argument, Lucario would have knocked Ash out with a Rock Smash attack. "_Master_!" the man caught the pokemon's fist with his palm and deflected the power in it quickly. "You two." he glanced at both of his students with a dark glare. "Stop fighting. _Now_." the pokémon gritted his teeth and left the scene while Ash stood there with a surprised face. "A-aaron..."

His stare did not waver which made the boy flinch when he saw it. Suddenly, his eyes softened and the man sighed. "Forgive Lucario Aiden, he doesn't like human company."

"Why is that?" he asked.

"I will explain to you another time. For now, you can say he has...'trusting' issues."

"Oh-kay then..." Ash didn't like for his question to be left unanswered, but he decided to drop the topic. "So..." he began while gazing at the forest behind him; thinking about Lucario, but then quickly focused on his current mentor. "Are we going back to training Aaron?"

"...yeah. Let's go." after he turned away, his teacher glanced at him and smirked. "By the way, not a bad Aura Sphere."

"Uuh...thanks...I guess."

* * *

**A/N : **Yay~I updated~...I hope I didn't disappoint you with this chapter. O.o Lucario and Ash aren't starting off so well aren't they? I still have no idea what's in store for Ash's training so...oh well.

Please Review! :D


	7. Suspicion

Chapter 6 - Suspicion

After the interrupted argument just moments ago, Lucario's doubt on Ash grew even more. The pokémon noted that the teen used the word 'war' even though there were no traces of that happening...for now. "He's hiding something. I'm sure of it. I just need to dig deeper..."

The jackal-like creature ran through the forest with blinding speed; his feet were barely visible by the human eye. In a matter of minutes he was able to reach the village from where he was. Looking around, he could sense the atmosphere growing tenser than before.

Now was a good time to scout for information. And he knew just the place he had to visit. Lucario quickly sprinted towards a house not far from the town, and was soon standing in front of the old gray gate. He didn't bother to knock on the door and instead went straight inside. Closing his eyes, he was happy that he could feel a lone person's aura in the house. The pokémon soon stepped in to a meditation room...and there was a man the same age as his teacher sitting on a flat pillow on the middle. "Sir Trevor..."

The spiky-haired brunette opened one eye and smiled. "Nice to see you here Lucario. Did Aaron send you here?" he asked with a calm tone.

"I came here for your wisdom Sir Trevor."

"Interesting..." he muttered while smirking. "Don't be shy, have a seat." the creature did as commanded and was now resting on the opposite side of his master's old friend. Trevor was known to be very wise, and can normally answer any question you ask of him even though he is quite young. From gossips to facts; being a traveler has earned him a lot of information. Now he normally stays in his own home and meditates because he has grown weary of moving around often. For some reason, Trevor enjoys solving mysteries...whether it would be why an event happened like this or a person's past. He loves to play detective.

"So what have you come to ask Lucario?"

"It's about...Master's new student..." he hated to admit it, but Aaron was teaching Ash how to use his aura...technically making Ash his apprentice. Lucario didn't like that, but he had to at least be specific about who he's talking about.

"You mean Aiden, correct?" the pokémon nodded. He had already considered that asking about Ash's past wouldn't yield many results since it was doubtful that Trevor would know about him anyway. So Lucario thought of other things from the past few days when Ash came in. "He mentioned something to me that didn't sound right. He said something about a war coming to Cameron."

For a few moments, the room was filled with silence except for the usual noises of nature coming from outside the window. "A war..." Trevor mused aloud; breaking the stillness. "The rumors haven't escalated that badly...yet here we have a boy claiming that a war would soon happen. Very interesting indeed."

"Is it really possible Sir Trevor?"

"...far-fetched, but there is a small chance that it may happen." Lucario was surprised with the man's statement. "But..._how_..? The dark aura users can't create such a catastrophe..!...can they?"

Suddenly, the brunette's smile grew a little bigger. "Lucario, you know about the Forbidden Magic don't you?"

"O-of course. It is common knowledge around the country that it was sealed a long time ago by the Aura Guardians because of the destruction that came with it. But recently with the emergence of the dark aura users, the Forbidden Magic is now reviving itself. If ever one uses its power, it is said that the being's soul and aura will be corrupted and never become pure again. This is why only the Aura Guardians can use Aura Sphere since they have a pure soul." when he said what he had remembered what Aaron told him, a sudden realization hit Lucario. "But that means...Aiden..."

"Let me guess, Aaron's new student knows how to do Aura Sphere." Trevor muttered with a smirk. "This means that his past has a connection with one of the elites of this country. To achieve a pure soul is something that requires rigorous training-"

"T-that's _impossible_!" Lucario shouted angrily; cutting what Trevor was supposed to say. "Then why is Aaron teaching him? If he does have some connection, then why can't he even manage to do Aura Sensing?"

"Hold on, I didn't say that is the only possibility that we have."

"What do you mean?"

"Did Aiden travel as well before he came to Cameron?" he questioned. The pokémon nodded, and that made Trevor's grin even bigger. It was easy to note that the man was enjoying this. To have a mystery...and to crack it. "Before we discuss about Aiden's past, there's something I was supposed to tell you about Forbidden Magic."

"And that would be..?"

"That very few people know how powerful it really is."

"Everyone already knows that it's dangerous-"

"But do they realize what it can do? Do you know Lucario?" he pressed.

"...honestly, no. Master never told me about that."

Trevor snickered. "It's a dark and cruel spell indeed. It has a long and winding history too. But I'll skip some parts; we have more pressing matters now." the man turned away for a moment and coughed. "You see Lucario, unlike what Aaron teaches you about how to harness your aura; the Forbidden Magic has the power to control another being's soul. Its strength lies to manipulating another to their heart's content. This was made originally for petty purposes like to command several people at once to do a task. But something like this was bound to be used for evil purposes...don't you think? Anyhow, the country was in chaos and blah blah blah then the Aura Guardians saved the day and yada yada yada..." he snickered again. "Simply put, what Aiden said isn't impossible because the dark aura users have the power to drive two opposing forces to fight against each other."

"But why would they do that? There's no reason at all..."

"That will be solved in a later time, I'm quite sure of that." Trevor beamed. "Yet now we have another problem. How did Aiden know of this even though this is supposed to be top-secret information? It could be that he may have over-heard of it from his travels, or he's connected to the dark aura users after all. Or maybe he somehow predicted the war to happen without even knowing how or what caused it hmm?"

"...you're getting too hyperactive Sir Trevor. I think that's enough for today." Lucario muttered as he stood up and bid farewell. The man did the same thing, but now he was more pumped up since he settled down in Cameron...even if the pokémon had already left his house. "Predicted the war huh..." he murmured. "This boy has no past, and no one seems to know anything about him. A total enigma. Yet at the same time shows no threat. Very interesting...it's like he's from a totally different world." Trevor grinned. "I can't wait to see what comes next."

-o-

Unbeknownst to Lucario, Aaron was thinking of the same questions about Ash's past. He knew about the extent of damage the Forbidden Magic can do...and not everybody can just do an Aura Sphere right off the bat. "Who is Aiden really..? He's not an ordinary child that's for sure." he thought.

"Aaron?" Ash's voice snapped the man out of his questions. "What is it Aiden-?" he was taken aback when he saw numerous trees with huge brunt marks that only an Aura Sphere can do. He was more surprised that his student looked like he was about to collapse at any moment. The trainer was taking quick, heavy breaths as he was on the ground with only his arms to keep him up. "C-can we...stop for the day?"

"I only told him to try to let his aura take shape in his hand...not this..." the Aura Guardian mumbled.

"What's wrong Aaron? D-did I...do something wrong?"

"Huh? No! You're doing great Aiden. Much better than I expected." he praised while showing a small smile.

"That's...good..." he replied weakly. "Next time, don't push yourself too hard alright? It's not good to go overboard with using your aura."

"O-okay..."

"Do you want me to carry you back Aiden?"

"N-no! I-I'm fine..." even if Ash said so, Aaron still gestured him for a piggy-back ride. Hesitantly, the boy climbed on and closed his eyes, letting sleep come over him. "Are you planning to miss dinner again Aiden?" his mentor whispered softly. He felt the teen shake his head wearily in response. The man grinned and began to walk back to the castle. "Aaron..?"

"Yes?"

"...thanks."

"...you're welcome Aiden."

* * *

**A/N : **Yay I finally updated! Sorry if it's short compared to the last one and it's sort of confusing...is it? Trevor's kind of like me when I go in to 'deep thinking mode' you see...hmm, maybe I'm over complicating this after all. Anyway, I apologize if it's a little bad since I was having writer's block in some parts...hehe. Yeah, I've sort of noticed the similarities it holds from 'Son of Aura'. That's because this story was created a little after I read all fourteen chapters of that story. (Check it out, it's about Ash and Aaron too...except Aaron is portrayed as Ash's father there.) I think and hope there will be more action in the next chapter. :D

Please review fellow readers! It drives me to add more chapters if you do!


	8. Attacked

Chapter 7 - Attacked

Ash groaned loudly as he sat up on another late evening. From the moonlight streaming through the open window, he knew that he over slept...again. His stomach was growling, and that meant another sneak out. "Yeah, that's not happening boy." a voice suddenly came out. The trainer turned and saw a shadow at the corner of the room. But Ash knew more than that and recognized the voice almost immediately. "What brings you here?" he asked; not amused.

Dialga smirked as he stepped in to the light and showed himself. "It's nice that you still remember me. I came here to stop you from adding fuel to the fire."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

The legendary sighed. "I mean between you and Lucario. Don't you think going out by yourself would arouse more suspicion Ash?"

"B-but I'm hungry..." Dialga exhaled sharply. He then threw something to the boy and he caught it easily. "What's this?"

"A bag of chips."

"Chips? They exist in here?" he questioned incredulously.

"Well no. You don't expect me to watch you all the time now do you?"

"T-thanks..." Ash's voice drifted off as he tore a part of the bag and ate the potato chips inside. "By the way, what's your name? I never did get to ask what it was." the teen was silent for a while, but then with a heaved sigh he turned away to avoid the trainer's gaze. "I cannot tell you."

"Aw, come on! Why can't you tell me?" he said with a disappointed frown. Dialga didn't answer; instead, he faced the other open window with a blank stare. "I guess I'll be leaving now. Some advice for you Ash, don't overdo it. This will be the last time I bring you something from your time..." the dark-blue haired male suddenly smirked. "Better enjoy it while you can."

With that, the legendary left the room as quickly as he had came; leaving a confused boy and a bag of potato chips.

-o-

It was around nine in the morning when the trainer woke up again from his sleep and stretched his arms. "Another day of training..." he muttered to himself as he jumped out of bed and washed himself up. The boy was slowly getting used to the surrounding, but he still missed staying in the open air with his friends. It felt like forever since he dropped in here out of nowhere. And even if it was nice here, he still had to get back to his own time as soon as he can.

_"But I can say that I can't bring you back until I fulfill the wish you requested before."_

The onyx-haired male groaned loudly. How was he ever going to save Sir Aaron like this? He didn't even know if the war was coming soon. For all he knew, that would happen maybe over a year. He couldn't wait that long. He had to go back...

The thought then crossed his mind. That person who did this; if he could send him back in time, then he could've also specified where he would go to. Simply put, he had to be near the time where Sir Aaron was going to..._to_...

Ash couldn't even bare to think of it.

After fixing his plain dark-blue shirt, he glanced around the room for a moment. It only came to him now about where his old clothes were. It wouldn't hurt to wear them, but then it would have aroused a lot of suspicion to others. So wait, what about Sir Aaron and Lucario? They saw him with his usual attire; didn't they suspect him too? Or maybe they didn't mind it? Either way, it was something he had to keep in mind.

The trainer decided to go out to the garden. He still had a lot of questions, and that was the best place he knew that was quiet. The teen found it a little weird that he knew the way there already as if he's been here for a really long time. "I don't belong here..." he sighed. "Yet why am I acting like I do?"

Pretty soon he was stepping on the soft green grass and was facing the amazingly carved marble pillars that stood there for what seemed like forever. Flowers were scattered all around the area in clumps, trees were covered in large fruits that seemed ripe enough to eat. Ash saw the marble slab he sat on with Aaron and was surprised that there was someone there he did not recognize. He had short hair that was laid down and smooth; black in color. His outfit looked normal; a simple blue collared tee with matching pants that had a few holes in it. Ash found it strange though that someone would be wearing this in here; in this timeline. For a moment, he considered him to be like him; stuck in the past; but that seemed terribly unlikely.

Out of the blue, the figure turned to him, and the first thing that struck the teen was his eyes; it easily stood out in the dark-shaded clothes he wore.

There was a stiff silence that hung between them; brown eyes met gold and Ash was already feeling uneasy. There was something about this guy that sent chills around his spine. Out of the blue, he turned away; breaking the staring contest. The onyx-haired male approached him cautiously; but eased a little after taking a few steps. Surprisingly when he got close, the mysterious person spoke first. "Do you use aura?"

Ash cringed. "Y-yeah..." he replied after hesitating a little.

The guy smiled broadly. "From the way you look, you seem to have a good teacher." he then said. "Well Sir Aaron is an Aura Guardian after all isn't he Ash?"

"He sure is-" the trainer's eyes widened at the sudden realization of what he said. "-wait, how did you know my name?" his reflexes kicked in and he jumped back. "Who are you?"

The other teen still sitting on the white block flinched noticeably, as if angry at himself for making such an obvious mistake. "I guess I did put my guard down too much. Leader did say that you had a pure aura around you." he suddenly muttered. A devil-like sneer suddenly spread across his face. "What's done is done. No use regretting it now."

"I said who are you? And who's this _leader_ of yours?" he questioned again; this time with a threatening tone. His hand was starting to glow; preparing an Aura Sphere if ever he needed it.

The mysterious figure saw it almost immediately. As if teleporting, he suddenly appeared right behind the boy and grabbed his wrist; dispelling the attack. Ash was frozen for a few seconds; yet he broke it swiftly. "_Let me go_!" he shouted as he struggled to get away from him. His grip was strong though, and the more he twisted his arm, the more his clasp on him got tighter. Ash attempted to summon another sphere from his free hand; but there was something wrong. He couldn't feel the aura building up in him or anything. "W-why can't I use my Aura Sphere?"

"It is simple really." the person behind him responded. "Dark Aura counters the real thing."

Ash turned to his face; he hated to admit it; but his smile was scaring him. He was in real trouble here..! "_Aaron_-!" his mouth was covered quickly with a hand. It glowed purple and entered his body rapidly; coursing through him and shutting down his aura. Out of the blue he felt tired, so much that he couldn't keep his eyes open. With a final groan he slumped on the culprit's arms; unconscious.

He beamed broadly as he carried the boy on his back. "This will make for a great prize. I'm sure Leader will be pleased."

-o-

The Aura Guardian grumbled sleepily as he rubbed his eyes. How long was he out? From the sun rising higher in the sky, it would be around nine he guessed. Changing in to his usual outfit, he began to plan out what he would do today with Aiden. There was still more training for him; the boy didn't fully master Aura Sensing yet. The man realized that Lucario wasn't in the room; he must've woken up early.

Aaron stretched his arms as he went out of his room. Closing his eyes, he scanned the area; feeling all kinds of blue aura around him. He then noticed something off; where's Aiden's aura?

Already fearing the worst, he quickly sprinted to his room; empty. He swiftly went to each part of the palace; trying to find him through Aura Sensing. No luck; he wasn't anywhere in the palace. "Where could he have gone this early?" he thought; hoping that nothing bad happened to him.

Finally the man checked the garden. Already he felt a disturbance here; dark aura. It was used here recently; he could feel it lingering in the air. Compared to aura, dark aura has a lasting effect that can be felt in close range and tends to stay there for about half an hour. That means that someone was here not long ago...and whoever was here was gone. From the atmosphere, he could tell that there was enough to knock someone out.

Aaron gritted his teeth. Looking up, he could still see the trail that was left. Maybe..._just_ maybe...

"Sir Aaron, where are you going?" he turned and saw a young maid standing there.

He smiled in reply. "Tell Lady Rin and Lucario that I'll be out for a while. I'll be back before dinner, alright?" and with that, he left with a resolve to find his apprentice and punish the one responsible for taking him away.

* * *

**A/N :** After two weeks of inactivity with all of my stories, I finally got this writer's block off of me and finished the seventh chapter. Whew! I'm sorry about this being short and I haven't updated in so long. I actually got stuck in one part, and after I edited that, the rest was easy. Finally moving along with the main plot~

Please Review...and then maybe I'll update faster. Summer's almost here...the problem is the final exams blocking the way. O_o By the way, if you want this story to be prioritized in the summer, please go to my profile and vote for it in the project. Thanks! :D


	9. Tied

Chapter 8 - Tied

_Where am I..?_

Ash groaned; his head felt terribly dizzy. It was like he was hit with some kind of huge baseball bat; but then that would be weird since baseball didn't exist in this time anyway. It took the teen a few moments to remember what happened to him...and more importantly who ambushed him.

He jolted and opened his eyes; realizing when he tried to move that his hands and feet were bound. Not with ropes; but with a strong stream of dark aura. Gritting his teeth, he struggled to break free from the purple mist that surrounded his limbs; no luck. They were as thick and tight as metal bracelets.

_Calm down. There has to be a way out of this._

For the first time he breathed deeply and took a look around. He was in a forest area; and not just any forest either. The trainer recognized the nearly healed burnt mark on one of the trunks; he was in the clearing where he and Aaron trained in. He wasn't alone either; there was a lone silhouette not far from where he was. He wasn't facing him; actually the teen could only see his back at the moment. The figure seemed to be mumbling about something inaudible from his position; yet as much as Ash wanted to find out what he was saying he decided to stay quiet for now. He could probably use this to his advantage. There was a possibility at the moment that whoever kidnapped him thought that he was still unconscious.

When the mysterious person turned to him, the trainer quickly closed his eyes and tilted his head down. Luckily, it looked like it was enough to convince him for now that he was still asleep. _That's good._

"This should probably last me for a while." he suddenly muttered. The voice was familiar; it was definitely the teen that he saw before. Ash never expected him to be able to use Dark Aura...or to knock him out for that matter. He wondered though, what did he mean by what he just said by _'Should probably last me for a while'?_

The black-haired male sighed loudly; it sounded stressed and tired. "I hope Leader would actually give me something today."

_Is he that greedy..?_

"I don't think mom and dad would last any longer..."

_Wait, he's doing this for his parents..?_

He suddenly laughed. "Sounds too cliché for you Ash?" the bounded boy opened his eyes and jerked his head up in surprise. The baffled look that the trainer gave the teen was almost hilarious. "I was just kidding. I don't even know my parents."

"You knew I was awake?" he asked; not showing a shred of sympathy about his relatives. He said it so calmly as if he didn't care if he never knew them.

"You made it too obvious kid. I guess Sir Aaron hasn't taught you how to mask your aura yet." the black-haired boy smirked as he kneeled down in front of Ash. "As soon as you woke up," he pressed his finger right on the trainer's chest. "the aura in your body flickered brightly. It's something that everyone does; but expert aura handlers can lower the aura they emit after letting it out for a few seconds. That way it wouldn't be so noticeable for others to pick up."

Ash growled. "I...I don't need anyone telling me that."

"Oh really? There's no use in acting cocky boy."

He hesitated; searching for words that can he can say so that he wouldn't look so...afraid. "You have no right to tell me what to do." he spat back. The black-haired teen looked a little surprised; but then unexpectedly, he laughed cheerily; it almost sounded like a child's. "I forgot, I never did tell you my name now did I?"

"Your name?"

"Yeah." he still had that big grin on his face. The teen looked almost too excited to tell Ash about a secret that he knew would blow his mind. After stifling a giggle he looked at the bound trainer; his eyes gleaming. "Let's start all over, my name's Umbreon. Nice to meet you Ash!"

-o-

Lucario scowled as he kicked a rock in his path; sending it flying to a nearby bush. He had so little information on this...this _stranger_. So many questions and hardly any answers. The jackal pokémon felt so frustrated; he felt annoyed, irritated. Honestly, he wasn't sure why. The boy did nothing wrong and yet...

_Am I...am I jealous?_

He shook his head. Why would he be jealous? The child was just a beginner; he was a person that Aaron is simply teaching. Who cares that he can do Aura Sphere? He can do it too...yet whenever he saw him with his master...it just...

"Sounds too cliché for you Ash?" a voice suddenly came out. Lucario instinctively went on a defensive stance; lowering the aura he was emanating as well. A second later he realized the question wasn't directed at him, but at someone else. The pokémon cringed; he could hear the boy's voice as well...and it sounds strained; tired. Making as little noise as possible he ducked down and moved silently through the bushes to see where they were. It was then Lucario sensed it...

A Dark Aura user is nearby.

He wasn't the kind to jump to conclusions, yet he pieced the situation together from what he had heard and sensed. Aiden was kidnapped by one of them...and it looks like he was knocked out first before being brought here. The guy who ambushed him probably had to rest; after all knocking someone out takes a lot of energy for both Aura and Dark Aura users. The latter use it more though and have started to become more immune to such strains. Since Aiden wasn't fighting back, it was most likely that he was held back with dark aura. Whoever's controlling it is one powerful user; it would be hard to take him down even with the element of surprise in his side.

Yet he has another advantage; Lucario is a pokémon after all.

Finally the steel/fighting type could see behind his hiding place. There were two people, one was his master's student and the other must be the kidnapper. Lucario suddenly got this uncertain feeling about the mysterious figure; it made him shiver slightly. Was this guy even human?

The atmosphere strangely didn't feel so tense. In fact, the trainer was gaping; his mouth hanging wide open. The pokémon wondered what his abductor told him that made him react that way; but nevertheless kept quiet and waited in his position for a bit longer.

"You...you got to be kidding..." Ash muttered.

"No I am not. I even have a sister that's an Espeon...well, she used to be one." the onyx-haired male was still shocked. This guy...was a pokémon? How is that possible? "Hey, if a Mew can turn to any pokémon it wants, then what's so surprising about a pokémon turning in to a human?"

"For one thing human and pokémon are two very different things." Lucario replied; stunning the two teens. A split second after he shot an Aura Sphere right from the bush directly at Umbreon, who was able to block the attack with his hands. "Phew. That was a close one."

It was then the jackal pokémon emerged from his hiding place and glanced at Ash. "You alright?"

The trainer was a little taken aback from the sudden question. "Tired, but I'll live."

"Good. I doubt Master would like to hear that you were beaten up so easily by some brat-"

"Hey! Don't put me down when you haven't even seen what I can do!" the gold-eyed boy was then surrounded by a purple-black veil that flared up like fire. Out of the blue, he disappeared without a trace only to strike Lucario from behind with a Faint Attack. The move pushed him back somewhat, yet he was still standing with barely a scrape. "Tch, so you can still use pokémon moves even when you're a human..."

"'Course!" he suddenly smirked. "You're a _pure_ pokémon, so you have more resistance to my attacks. But..."

Umbreon lifted his hand up in the air; a small foggy ball in his palm. It then spread around the area rapidly; making the trainer and Lucario cough loudly from the thick smoke.

"Can your master stand up against my younger brother?"

-o-

Aaron cursed silently as he walked on the forest path. The trail that he was following had suddenly disappeared; whoever kidnapped Aiden was really experienced. He had been searching the place to find nothing but trees and bushes; so far there were no traces of his student anywhere-

"Hm?" out of the blue he felt the presence of aura nearby. Was it Aiden's? Closing his eyes, the Aura Guardian soon found a boy that was bound with ropes under a tree. "Aiden?"

"Sir Aaron? Is that you?" a voice replied that sounded very familiar. The man smiled; he found him-

Wait, there's something wrong here. His aura is different...it's smaller...he knows how to hide his aura. It's strange; he looked exactly like Aiden from his eyes, outfit and everything. "Who are you?"

"What are you talking about Aaron? It's me Aiden. Can you help me get out of this first before you ask questions like that? Better hurry before the kidnapper comes ba-"

"You're not my apprentice. I ask again, who are you?"

"...mm...and I thought my voice was pretty accurate." he muttered. "Took me a couple of hours to perfect it." the suspicious child stood up and broke the ropes with no effort. Suddenly his appearance changed drastically; revealing a boy with short brown hair and matching colored eyes. "Who am I you ask?" he giggled. "My name's Eevee, and I'm here to take you down!"

* * *

**A/N : **Did I foresee making an Umbreon gijinka in the initial plot? No, no I didn't. It was a pretty spontaneous thing really (only thought of it yesterday actually O_O), so if you see any errors or problems in the chapter please tell me. ^ ^ This chapter was a bit hard to approach so I'm sorry for delaying this...

Edit (4/1/11): Changed a few words and stuff. Thanks to Mysteryfan17 for spotting some errors I made. :D Next chapter will be quite long since it won't only cover the two battles going on, but also something about the Forbidden Magic. Stay tuned!

Please review guys~


	10. Trust

Chapter 9 - Trust

_Legend says that a pokémon named Mew guided the people of Rota to wealth and prosperity for centuries until present time. But in this story, the same creature that brought happiness to the land also brought chaos and destruction; for it was Mew that created the magic...and what made it forbidden was man's greed._

"Double Team!" Eevee shouted as copies of himself surrounded him in a full circle. All of them had a childish sneer; any of them could've been the real one. Aaron gritted his teeth; Aiden could be in danger and he was stuck having to fight this boy. He didn't want to hurt someone like him; but he had no other choice; it didn't look like he was going to let him go without a battle. "Too scared to move?" the brunette taunted. "I'll make the first attack then, Shadow Ball!" all copies at once formed a dark sphere in their hands and shot it directly at the center; but before it could even touch the Aura Guardian, it made contact with a light blue barrier instead. The attacks disappeared after hitting; leaving Eevee in shock. "No way, you deflected it?"

The shield vanished as soon as it came; showing one very serious Aaron. "My turn." he closed his eyes and quickly found one of the copies having a brighter flame than the rest. Not hesitating, he summoned up a sphere of his own and shot it at the brunette; a direct hit. The attack sent him flying to the ground; yet he got up afterward with his clothes covered in dirt. "You got me all dirty you meanie! Now Espeon's gonna get mad at me!" unexpectedly little tears began to form in his eyes; instead of standing up, he just sat on the ground and continued to cry.

Aaron sweat-dropped; he didn't see this coming. "Uh, are you alright..?" he asked while walking closer to it.

He sniffled while he wiped some of his tears away. "N-no..." the brunette then looked up with an evil sneer. "I feel better now that you fell for it." Eevee quickly punched the man on his stomach; his fist surrounded with a purple glow. "Toxic."

Aaron staggered back; he could feel the poison spreading in his body so fast that his system went numb. He then collapsed on the ground; the tables have turned. "Heh, you shouldn't have underestimated me." all the man could do was groan in reply as he tried to stand but failed. The child simply stared at him, a blank look on his face. "I wouldn't try to struggle; instead of real poison, I used dark aura to paralyze you. The effect should last for a few hours; draining the aura in your body. Even if the poison wears off, it's going to take some time before you can actually move again."

"...why...did you take Aiden..?" there was a long pause...and then, instead of an answer, Eevee began to carry Aaron's motionless body and let him lean on a nearby tree. "Are you more comfortable now?"

All the Aura Guardian could do was look at him with a mixture of shock and confusion. "You poisoned me and you're asking if I'm _well_?"

"Big brother said that my job is to not let you interfere with what he's doing. Since we're not going to do anything for a while, wanna talk?" the man didn't reply; he was too busy acting surprised. "Oh, right, uhm, I don't know what they're gonna do with your student. I think Father will be happy though if he could see him." the brunette said as he sat down and crossed his legs.

"Father?"

"He's not our real father, but he was the one that rescued us and gave us the ability to use dark aura. Me, Umbreon, and Espeon were all...uhm, well, we all ran away from our owners. Umbreon and Espeon are brother and sister; I guess I'm kind of a third wheel to them; but they both treat me as if I'm their younger brother." he smiled unconsciously; his memories of Umbreon and Espeon were mostly good ones...unlike the rest of his childhood. "Mister, do all people like pokémon?"

Aaron was a little caught-off guard with the sudden question which caused him to hesitate. "Y-yes."

"Even the ones that keep pokémon as their slaves?"

He hesitated again. "Were you...kept as a slave before?"

Eevee shook his head. "No...I remember Big brother and big sister saying they were. Actually, I was the total opposite of a slave. My owner liked petting me...she always gave me a lot of gifts...a lot of food...but she never let me outside. I was always stuck in the house..." his voice trailed off. "Do you like pokémon?"

"If I said no, then why do I have a pokémon as a student?" Aaron coughed; his body shook a little. "It just so happens that...not every human is a good person. But it doesn't mean that every human is like that as well. It's sad that...not all people and pokémon can't be at peace with each other..." the Aura Guardian muttered softly. "But...it doesn't mean that it's impossible for people and pokémon...to coexist with each other either..." he closed his eyes and took a few breathes before speaking again. "Eevee, I really need to get to Aiden. _Now_. He could be in big danger."

"...I don't get it."

Aaron stared at him; trying to figure out what he meant. "Don't get what?"

"You're not lying. You weren't lying about anything. _Everything_. But...but...big brother wouldn't do anything wrong. Ever. So then why did he tell me that you're my enemy..? Was he lying? He can't, right? Tell me you were lying about everything!" the boy was starting to shout now. He quickly turned away, but the man already saw small tears forming.

"Eevee..." his whole body was trembling; it was obvious. He could hear the stifled sobs coming from him as he tried to decide what to do now. "Eevee, please. I know it's hard, but I need to-"

The Aura Guardian stopped talking when the brunette reached in to his pocket and brought out a small vial filled with a light blue liquid. "Take this. Dark aura or not, poison is still poison."

"Is that...the antidote?"

He nodded. "Yes. You'll feel a little weak after you take it, but in a matter of seconds your body will be able to move around normally again." he pulled out the tiny cork and slowly let Aaron drink the liquid inside. It was just as Eevee said; he soon felt much better and the feeling of being paralyzed was gone. The man stood up and shot an Aura Sphere to check that the effects were truly gone. He smirked when its power was still intact; he at least wouldn't be defenseless if he tried to save Aiden. "Thank you. I must be going now." he looked away and started to walk in to the forest before a voice stopped him. "Wait, before you go, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Aiden...why do you care for him so much? He's just your student...not your son..."

Aaron smiled. "He is my student...and therefore my son."

And so Eevee was left standing in the small clearing, wondering if what he chose was right..."That kid...sure is lucky to have someone like him..."

-o-

"Come back here you coward!" Lucario yelled. Umbreon simply stuck his tongue out at him as he continued to use Agility to jump from one tree to another. The jackal pokémon followed suit and the chase continued on until the teen stopped in front of the river. Aiden was still being carried by Umbreon and couldn't move since he was still bound and couldn't wrestle his way out of it. He found it a little terrifying that his captor still has enough focus to keep him down and fight Lucario at the same time.

The black-haired male glanced back; the river behind him was a far stretch and the running water was fast enough for someone to easily drown in. He could've jumped over it alone, but not with someone else. He was not about to leave his prize behind and report back to his leader empty-handed. No, that was out of the question.

"Guess I have no choice but to fight you." he said as his gold eyes suddenly glowed silver white. "Hidden Power!" black waves of energy came out from his body and spread across the field they were on. Lucario jumped out of the way and landed on a nearby branch; lowering the aura he emitted and stayed motionless.

Umbreon looked around as he tried to sense where his enemy was. His hand was glowing; taking the form of a white claw. Without hesitating, he took aim and slashed the tree nearby Aiden. At first, nothing seemed to have happened, but then a second after the trunk came crashing down; forcing Lucario to jump out and expose himself. "Hmph. Not bad." the pokémon muttered as he shot an Aura Sphere and the teen barely evaded it. The black-haired teen didn't reply; he looked like he was thinking of what to do next. The steel/fighting type noticed this and lunged forward with his fist ready.

The next couple seconds were filled with hand-to-hand combat. Lucario continued on the offensive while Umbreon couldn't do anything but block all the attacks that were thrown at him. Whenever he tried to counter, his opponent was faster and destroyed the opportunity. Before long the teen couldn't keep up and let one of the punches slip past him; making contact with his cheek. He flew back and fell on the ground; inches away from the river behind him. Wiping the small amounts of blood on his face, he stood up and this time was the one that did the first strike only to be stopped by a hand. "That should be enough, Umbreon."

"_Sir Aaron_?"

"_Master_?" Aiden and Lucario said in unison; both of their faces filled with shock. Umbreon was stunned the most. "H-how..? Eevee was supposed to keep you down..! That worthless brat-!" a swift punch to his stomach cut his sentence short and made him knelt on the ground; clutching his abdomen and trembling slightly. "You call your brother a worthless brat?" the man asked; sounding almost angry.

"Brother? _Hah_! He's nothing more than a hopeless kid who's too frightened to face the world." he muttered at the same time trying to stand up again.

"So he's just a pawn to you?"

"More like a stepping stone to achieving my revenge on humans." he sneered as he met eye-to-eye with the Aura Guardian. "This form that I'm in right now is only temporary. It just so happens that humans are better in controlling dark aura than pokémon. If I help Father with his goal, I'll receive power that no one can ever defeat; I'll become invincible!" out of the blue, the water in the river started to rise; forming a huge wave that faced all three Aura users. "I will be under no human ever again!" Umbreon unleashed the wave on them; giving them little time to dodge it. Lucario was able to, but Aaron couldn't because he was trying to get to his other student who was still tied and had no chance of escaping. "_Aiden_!" the attack engulfed the both of them; swallowing the two and pulling them back in the water like a tsunami. The Aura Guardian couldn't see anything for a moment; the river was moving too fast to fight against the current and there were tall rocks scattered everywhere; the river was deeper than he thought. He pushed himself up to the surface to gulp some air before returning back down.

Frantically looking around, he finally spotted Aiden under the water; motionless like a dead body. As fast as he could, he swam down; fearing the worst. Grabbing the boy's chest firmly, he began his ascend back above the water; his limited time running out.

For what seemed like an eternity, Aaron's head finally came out of the water and was breathing rapidly. His student was unconscious, dead, he wasn't sure. Either way, he needed to get both of them to dry land before they come across something really bad...

As they floated down the river, he had to keep on moving in order to avoid the jagged rocks that were fast approaching them every few seconds. Desperate, he reached out for one that he can grab and held on it tightly; trying his best not to lose his grip. Glancing at the grass meters from where they were, he looked back at Aiden, then at the grass again. Moving carefully so as to not lose his apprentice again in the water, he positioned himself closer and closer to the land in front of him until he could just reach out to it...

_Almost...there..._

He was about to get to safety when suddenly another wave made him lose his grip on the rock. "_No_!" the two would've been swept away if it weren't for a hand holding on to them. "Hold on!" a voice familiar to Aaron shouted. He looked up and saw Eevee; trying with all his power to pull them up to shore and out of the water. The tug-of-war between the river and the boy went on for a few minutes till he was able to successfully haul them on to land. The three of them collapsed on the grass; out of breathe. "Are you...alright?" the brunette asked; still gasping.

"Y-yeah...thank you..." the man replied; also tired from the entire ordeal. After inhaling more air, he gave a big sigh of relief and went to check if Aiden was fine. He was, fortunately; he passed out from the lack of air but didn't seem to have any injuries. This made the Aura Guardian sigh again. To make sure that Aiden wasn't hurt; he concentrated his aura and let it flow in to the teen's body steadily.

"What are you doing?" Eevee questioned; curious.

"Aura Transfer. If used correctly, it can save another person's life; a healing ability."

"Oh...that's pretty amazing."

The two were silent as Aaron focused on breaking the dark aura that surrounded Aiden's body. After he did that, he tried to make him comfortable by fixing the position he was in. The teen looked like he was just sleeping peacefully now; his body wasn't as tense as compared to before.

"Eevee, how did you find us?" he suddenly asked.

"Well, I didn't really do anything after you left." the brunette replied. "I was taking a nap you see...and then when I just woke up, I sensed a large amount of aura coming from the river. I knew it was yours so-"

"Master! Master, where are you?" they both heard Lucario shouting as loud as he could.

"You better get going. Lucario won't let you go if he catches you." Aaron cut in his story while showing a small smile. "Wait, you're not going to take me hostage or something?"

"You just saved our lives. This is the least I could do."

Hesitantly, he nodded. With a small 'thank you', he quickly disappeared; just as the jackal pokémon came out and rushed to his teacher and saying how happy he was that he was still alive.

-o-

_Brother? Hah! He's nothing more than a hopeless kid who's too frightened to face the world._

_So he's just a pawn to you?_

_More like a stepping stone to achieving my revenge on humans._

Eevee stifled another sob; but he couldn't stop the tears that kept on coming down his cheeks. He was curled up in a small cave; his favorite place that was nearby where Father, Umbreon, and Espeon stayed. He would always come here if he wanted to think about something or if he was sad or angry. Right now, he was all of those three things.

_Big brother? Why do you hate humans so much?_

_'Cause they're nothing but greedy liars that's why. You should beware the ones that seem friendly to you the most Eevee. Those are normally the ones that betray you in the end._

_Betray? What does that mean?_

_Trust me; you're better off not knowing how it feels._

"I...I don't know who to trust anymore..."

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, I lied. I didn't get to explain the Forbidden Magic. Oh well. Anyway, after nearly two months I finally updated! Soooo happy~ If this was a crappy chapter I'm sorry about that (if you spot any mistakes please PM me). I guess I kinda got caught in the action. I'm also happy at how long this chapter turned out (since well, I rarely ever get my chapters nearby 3,000 words) ^ ^

Please Review? :D

Edit: I think ShinyTogeticFTW and Mysteryfan17 are now kinda like my micro-beta people. :D Thanks to them my grammar isn't so bad! XD


	11. Coincidences

Chapter 10 - Coincidences

Ash woke up to the sound of a door creaking. Opening one eye slowly and groaning, he was only able to see a part of a dark blue cape exit the room before the wooden door closed; leaving him all alone in the room that he was temporarily staying in. He couldn't move; his body felt too heavy to do so. _What happened to me..?_

Everything was such a blur, and trying to remember it made his head throb. The boy recalled Umbreon summoning the huge wave that could engulf a house...heading straight towards him...the next thing he knew, he was surrounded by water; suffocating water. _Then what? Who...saved me?_ He couldn't help but feel skeptical; his vision was foggy along with his thoughts. One thing surfaced though, he was tired; dead tired. Closing his eyes, the onyx-haired trainer was about to fall asleep before a voice stopped him.

_"That was a close call, wasn't it?"_

Ash was surprised; but his body reacted much slower and didn't show much signs of it at all. "W-who..."

_"It's me, the person that sent you back in to the past."_ the voice replied; echoing in his head. It didn't sound like he was in the room or anywhere near him. "Te-telepathy?"

_"Correct. Are you alright, Ash? You took quite a beating from the riverbed before you passed out."_

_The riverbed_...his entire body ached; as if recalling how much pain he felt that day. The teen gritted his teeth; enduring it and waited until the pain subsided once more. _"I apologize, I shouldn't have mentioned that."_

"It's...okay..." he replied weakly. "Boy, if anybody...would see me now...they would scold me for being so reckless..."

_"You are talking about your traveling companions, is that right?"_ at the state he was in, Ash couldn't nod, and so he simply said yes_. "It must be nice to live a life like that with no worries."_ before he could say any more, the door made a small noise again; Ash could sense the voice's presence disappear as a figure entered the room; a lady with long blond hair. "Oh, Aiden, did I disturb you?"

"N-no...I was awake when you came in, Lady Rin." she smiled; as if relieved. "I was worried that I may have woken you up. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." he replied; feeling a small amount of his strength returning. "Was Sir Aaron here a while ago?"

She nodded. "He was very worried about you as well even when he performed first aid on you. I've never seen him that on edge before." the queen laughed lightly. "He really cares for your safety, Aiden. Next time you should be careful with what you do so that this would not happen again or you might give him a heart attack."

"A-a heart attack?" perhaps that was a little too far, but if he was that worried about him, it would be best to take it easy for now then. The teen didn't want to cause the Aura Guardian any more trouble than he already has. "What about Lucario?"

"He's fine; he wasn't hurt when the wave engulfed you...or so I've heard from Sir Aaron. On the other hand Sir Aaron has been slightly injured, but yours were quite severe compared to him."

"Oh..." that was all he could say; there wasn't anything else he could say. "I know you need to rest, so I will be leaving now. Don't do anything reckless like leaving the room, alright?" the teen nodded. With that, the queen left the room with a face that seemed reassured at the same time even more concerned. Ash didn't like it; everyone was worried about him and he couldn't do anything to soothe them. He always hated times where he couldn't do anything at all.

To be honest, he kind of missed training with his pokémon, traveling and all. He missed Pikachu, Dawn, Brock, and everyone else. Being alone made him remember many things before he got here; it could almost be called his past life. Almost.

_No, I can't let that go. I can't. I have to remember that my goal here is to save Sir Aaron. After that, I'm going back..._

He looked at his right hand; his palm bandaged and his fingers exposed. Slowly, he closed it in to a fist; his hand was trembling while doing so. "Will I really be able to go back..?"

_It feels like an eternity since I've seen my friends._

-o-

The sound of breaking glass echoed in the room. Pieces of what once was a large vase lay on the floor; broken. Umbreon growled softly; his arm covered in small scratches since he used it to shield his face. The teen's expression didn't waver and shook off the pains reverberating from his body. "I'll get him next time, Father." he said firmly.

Another growl could be heard inside the large hall. "There is only one more next time, Umbreon." a voice responded; much lower and menacing than Umbreon's. The figure couldn't be seen in the shadows; but anyone could tell that the man was huge. He sat on a throne made of plain white marble; his hands were resting on the armrests of the chair. "If you fail, I will choose her soul instead of his, is that clear?"

"Yes, Father."

"I expect you to get the boy before the war day. You are dismissed." Umbreon then made a small bow towards the man before leaving the room; his fists were clenched and he was gritting his teeth. When the figure was out of sight; he punched the nearby wall; his gold eyes glimmered from rage. "That man..._Aaron_...will pay..!"

"You shouldn't take your anger out on an innocent wall, brother." a voice said calmly.

"I don't care, Espeon. I have to get the boy as soon as I can. If I don't..." his voice trailed off; the black-haired teen hesitated. "How could you be so calm with this? You're the one-" the violet-haired girl suddenly teleported right in front of him and placed her index finger over his lips. "Shh...it will be okay."

"It...it won't. Not until I get Ash. Only then...you'll be out of danger." she frowned; her brother's determination was somewhat frightening. "Umbreon, have you seen Eevee?" she asked.

"Eevee? Why are you suddenly asking about him?"

She sighed deeply. "I haven't seen him since you got back. Did you fight with him?"

"No, of course not, sister. But," he scowled and moved away from the girl; turning away. "He failed his task on keeping Aaron at bay. If he didn't let him go I would've had that boy! We're moving behind schedule because of him! I could sense Father's trust in me dimming because I lost him. That brat should be glad I didn't tell about his own failure." out of the blue; he grinned like he just had an idea. "They should be injured by now; I know that wave took out a lot from the both of them. Now would be the perfect time to strike." he walked away from Espeon to the entrance; his confidence returning. "Don't worry, sister. I'll do everything in my power to stop you from being the sacrifice."

"...I...I know you will, brother."

-o-

Eevee watched silently as small children with their pokémon companions were playing tag and people were doing their usual daily activities: working, resting, chatting...it was the picture of a peaceful village. He sighed deeply as he rested his hand on the rough trunk of the tree. He didn't belong here; yet why was he standing on the border line of the forest? He was tempted to take another step; to explore this place he never been to before; but Father had forbade the boy from going out of the forest unless he was on a mission. And normally it was Umbreon that took these missions. Eevee had just recently turn twelve; not that his 'family' cared. Umbreon was able to sneak in to the village, steal a cake, and celebrate his birthday with Espeon though. That was back then when he still trusted his Big brother.

He didn't belong there, yet he desperately wished that he was like those pokémon; to live a simple life with a loving family. It sounded like a very distant dream.

"Hey, kid, what are you doing here?" a voice suddenly asked behind him. Eevee nearly jumped in surprise yet quickly turned around to see who snuck up on him. It was a young man with spiky brown hair and a simple dark blue kimono; something that he normally saw only katana-wielding people wear. The man frowned when the boy just stood there in a battle pose; waiting to counter any attack he would throw. "I'm not an enemy, kid. I just asked you a question."

"Huh? Uh, well..." he awkwardly stood straight and thought of what to say. "No reason..."

_You should beware the ones that seem friendly to you the most, Eevee. Those are normally the ones that betray you in the end._

The stranger grinned. "I don't normally encounter someone here in the forest as young as you. My name's Trevor, what's your name?"

"E-ee..." _should I tell him my name? But if I told him my name was Eevee, then that would make him suspicious..._"E-e-ric."

"Eric, hm? Well I hope we'll meet again. If you excuse me, I have to be going somewhere."

"W-wait, by any chance do you know Sir Aaron?" the man stopped in his tracks and glanced at the child. "Huh. I didn't know he was so famous around here." the same smile was still on his face; it somehow felt uplifting. "Yeah, I know him. Are you one of those kids that admire powerful guys like him?"

"S-something like that..." he stuttered.

"You want to meet him?"

"I guess-I mean, of course I do!" Eevee tried to act energetic; like how a real kid would be excited to meet his hero. That seemed to convince Trevor as he walked back to him and outstretched his hand. "I'll take you to him then; he should be at the castle right now."

The younger brunette stared hesitantly at the hand in front of him. The only people that he ever held hands with were his older brother and sister; no one else. _What if he was someone that likes kidnapping children? What if he's going to hurt me..? What if he's lying? Should I trust him?_

The man noticed him looking unsure. He chuckled and patted his head; which surprised Eevee so much he flinched. "You don't need to be so tense, kid. See?" out of the blue, a small Aura Sphere formed in his other hand and showed it to Eevee. The boy couldn't help but gaze at it; the swirling bright and dark blue colors mixed so well that it was mesmerizing. "They say only people with good hearts have the ability to do Aura Sphere; like Sir Aaron and his two students. I, myself, was a student of an Aura Guardian; Sir Aaron and I both had the same teacher." the energy ball faded slowly; dispersing in to tiny particles that floated around them. "Our teacher was amazing and was like a second father to us. Sadly, he passed away right after we both graduated from his training. It was then Sir Aaron and I went our separate paths; he decided to become an Aura Guardian himself while I went in to traveling the world. Traveling was nice, but at some point I couldn't help but come back here to Rota."

Eevee listened silently the whole time Trevor told him his story. The sky blue particles had disappeared in to the air. "Oh, I was rambling again. I'll show you the way to the castle now, okay?"

"...yeah. Lead the way." he responded with a smile of his own.

_Big brother is wrong. Even if many people are strangers to me; it doesn't mean that they're all bad._

* * *

**A/N: **YESSS...DOUBLE DIGITS...and I'm back from inactivity, people! Well, kinda. I'm sorry that this was pretty short; but I ended it here so that the next chapter _might _be filled with action and surprises. :D Think of it like a break from the last chapter (and I has a cold. I hate colds.)

Please Review? 8D


	12. Intertwined

**A/N : **The wonders of what deadlines can do to you is surprising, really. Y'know, I only noticed this today...I'm updating this story on 9/11, and I published this story on 9/11 last year. So basically this fic is now one year old...

I feel so unaccomplished. OTL Ah, well, you may read (and review) now. For those who were waiting patiently for this chapter, sorry for taking so long. School is so annoying sometimes, got me busy and all that. T_T

EDIT: ...why _did_ I use so many semi-colons anyway? When I think back on it now, I can't really tell why. Weird.

* * *

Chapter 11 - Intertwined

_Mew was known to be one of the most generous, playful, and powerful pokémon in Rota. Everyone knew about it, and Mew knew about them. Its trust with humans never wavered even though it was fully aware of their nature; almost as if it didn't care. But there was once a time where its mistake finally shook the legendary so hard that it refrained from freely interacting with people for a very long time. A long time ago, when it lent too much power to one man...the very same man that caused war after war; yet to him it was simply victory after victory for he was a general, and he was a failure at that. He begged for Mew to help him; to offer him something that can make him happy. The pokémon gladly obliged, and even though it was his own power, the selfish grip of the man was too strong, and Mew could not get it back..._

_The destruction continued to spread, and whoever tried to face the general ended up severely punished. It was then Mew decided that there was no other option..._

_It was the first time...it took a life._

"Master, what are you reading?" the familiar voice snapped him back out of his trance-like state. The man closed the book afterward; placing it back on the shelf he took it from while facing where the voice came from. "Just an old legend, nothing to be concerned about." Aaron replied calmly.

The jackal pokémon did not look convinced. "I'm not concerned about the book."

He couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm alright, Lucario. _Really_."

"You still shouldn't be walking around the castle, master. What if something-"

"You worry too much. How can I be your teacher if I cannot even protect my students?" Lucario fell silent, unsure of how to reply. The Aura Guardian simply grinned and walked towards him. "If you must know, it simply feels horrible to be bedridden even if you want to do something else. I'm sure Aiden feels the same way."

The last sentenced irked the pokémon. _If it wasn't for that boy, this would never have happened. Why does master always talk about him so much?_

"Anyhow, I think it would be best to check what he's doing now. Hopefully his injuries have already recovered somewhat-" Aaron suddenly stopped; he glanced around as if something was approaching them. Lucario didn't bother asking and tried to sense what he felt, but there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary..."He's here."

"_He_? Who are you-" surprisingly, the man's serious expression broke in to a smile. "It's Trevor." yet the smile vanished as soon as it came. "...and he has someone else with him." _it can't be..._"We must head to the gate, quickly." without wasting any time, the Aura Guardian walked briskly out of the room and took the fastest route to the entrance of the castle where two guards were stationed with a huge metal gate. As he approached the opening, he could already see the two figures outside: one bigger, one smaller. The steel/fighting type was close behind him, and he wasn't sure whether to be calm or cautious about their guests. "Lucario." he muttered softly so that only his student could hear.

"Master?"

"Is his aura familiar to you?"

"...yes, it is. Is he-"

"I want to pretend as if you don't know him."

"But, why?"

"Trevor probably has no idea who he is; it would be best to stay unaware for now. Only when he starts to act suspiciously..." he trailed off, hinting to the pokémon that the rest of the message was loud and clear. It was, all right, and the pokémon couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Of course, Master."

"Good." he turned his attention back to his old friend and put on a welcoming aura. "Trevor, what brings you here to Cameran Palace? Does it have to do with your new friend?" the boy subconsciously took a step back; looking a little nervous. "Yep, I found your biggest fan!" the older brunette replied, beaming. He then nudged the younger brown-haired child to go closer to them instead of shying away. "C'mon, I thought you said you wanted to meet Sir Aaron in the flesh?"

"Y-yeah, but, I..."

Said man walked to him with a friendly face. "There's no need to be afraid," he told him. Aaron then leaned towards the boy and whispered to him so softly that the person beside them couldn't hear it. "_Eevee_."

The boy didn't answer; instead, he was simply staring at the ground and at nothing else. "You're not going to hurt me?"

"I promise you, I won't. In return, you cannot and will not harm Aiden."

"I assure you, that was never my intention from the beginning."

"Hey, what are you guys whispering about? You know each other?" the bluenette then turned to his friend. "No, just trying to coax him, that's all."

"Mm, okay. Anyway, mind if we take a tour of the castle or something? It wouldn't be nice to simply leave us out here after coming all this way to meet you."

"Of course. Right this way." with that, they all headed deeper in to the large structure. The younger brunette was still restless, but more relaxed than a while ago. Lucario, meanwhile, was still as alert as ever. The one thing worse than having a new student (that he was jealous of) was to have the enemy of said student in his own territory. A situation like that can never end well.

-o-

Half an hour felt like an eternity for Ash, just waiting and lying down on the bed...it was torture. Yet even the slightest amount of movement made him cringe in pain and with that he was forced to stay still and do nothing but stare at the dark gray ceiling above him. As he lay on his bed, Ash reflected on his situation (as there wasn't anything else he could do anyway). Him being here, his wish, his friends...did they even know if he was gone? Would he return the exact moment that he has vanished? Or maybe they just hadn't noticed his absence yet?

Looking back, he never expected for all of this to happen. No one would've, of course, yet...

_"I can't bring you back until I fulfill the wish you requested before."_

"Of all people, why me? And why that time, of all times?" he muttered as he let a small Aura Sphere form in his palm. "It could've been more simple like winning a gym battle or something..." he frowned as the light blue ball dispersed in to the air; quickly disappearing soon after. "Why would he go through all the trouble to do this, anyway? It's not like he's going to gain anything from sending me back in time. Unless, maybe he wanted to save Sir Aaron too..."

Ash closed his eyes and attempted to scan the area around him. There weren't that many people in the castle, as usual. All of them had a small blue aura flare and were constantly moving about. For some reason, he couldn't pinpoint his teacher anywhere as if he wasn't nearby; either that or his range isn't that very far...

Out of the blue, he felt a strong aura coming from the rooftop. He jolted to a sitting position, and even though it hurt doing so, he was more concerned about what he sensed. It definitely wasn't Aaron's, or Lucario's. In fact, he knew who it was as soon as he felt it, and it made him flinch in fear. The teen recognized that the intruder was masking his aura, yet even so, it was easy to identify, and it made him worry. "It can't be..." panicking, he looked around for anything that he could use as a weapon, or anything that could defend him. But there was nothing of the sort, it was just a simple room with a bed and an injured boy; this made him panic even more.

_"Remember, Aiden, with Aura Sensing, you cannot only anticipate the beings that are close to you, but also how they are feeling. When one is calm, the aura they give off is dampened, thus it is harder to notice them. When they are angry or frightened, it becomes the opposite and they become easier to spot. When you are in a rough situation, always remember to stay calm."_

Ash took a shaky breath and tried to get himself to calm down. Closing his eyes once again, he tried to follow the movement of the person he sensed a few moments ago.

_"Sometimes, the best course of action is to do nothing but listen...and wait."_

The figured continued to jump from one place to another. The ravenette assumed that he was looking for him, doing the same thing he was doing now. He tried to steady his breathing further, pushing away the fear of him approaching closer and closer to him.

_"As soon as you woke up," he pressed his finger right on the trainer's chest. "the aura in your body flickered brightly. It's something that everyone does; but expert aura handlers can lower the aura they emit after letting it out for a few seconds. That way it wouldn't be so noticeable for others to pick up."_

_Ash growled. "I...I don't need anyone telling me that." _

_"Oh really? There's no use in acting cocky, boy."_

"He's right...I shouldn't be so reckless, especially here." the teen mumbled softly. "I had always placed my life on the line, knowing that I have friends to back me up when I get in trouble. But now, I'm alone..." he stayed silent; the tension in the air felt suffocating, yet he continued to be still. "Pikachu, Dawn, Brock, everyone...they're not here, but they'll be waiting for me to come back. Until then, I can't let them worry about me, no way."

Clasping his arm tightly, he kept on watching, waiting, the intruder drew closer towards him; he could tell. His aura was now flickering brighter than before. Ash could tell that he was starting to get excited.

The door then swung open, and no one else stood there except for his captor the day before. He grinned widely; his golden eyes gleaming. "Come out, come out wherever you are, little brat."


	13. Knowing

Chapter 12 - Knowing

Umbreon's eyes scanned the empty room with a mixture of excitement, malice, and an itch to find the kid already instead of stalling like this. He didn't know why specifically, but moving around the castle like how a predator would track its prey sounded fun, and so he was doing just that. Deep down, he didn't want to admit that he couldn't seem to find Ash in the first place. For some odd reason, his usual flickering aura had disappeared. The only one that he could sense that was similar was that man's aura, which he knew was at the entrance gate of the palace along with a certain someone he knew, but he disregarded it and deemed the fact worthless.

At that moment, he was standing in front of a small library. Two tiny windows were carved out of the stone walls and were the only source of light in the room. Shelves of books stood beside each other and seemed to have been doing so for ages. Some of the pieces in there looked faded and worn, while others barely had any dirt on them as if they were never taken out. He noted that there was one book that poking out of the rest of them, and the title written on its side made him even more curious despite it sounding too common...or not really thought out.

_'The History of Aura'_

Umbreon debated on whether to check out the book or resume his search for the sacrifice, and in the end he decided that he had a few minutes to kill, so why not? As long as no one would notice him there, he should be fine.

-o-

In all honesty, Sir Aaron wasn't really listening to whatever his good friend was blabbering about at that moment. The man couldn't help but feel a little on edge after the recent events that had just happened. The feeling of anxiousness was still hanging around him. He wondered if it was because of his student nearly drowning that day...

"_Aaron, hey_!" Trevor shouted while already in the position to violently shake the guy if he had to. "Uh-oh, sorry, what were you saying?"

The older brunette sighed as he let go off his friend's shoulders. "Eric was asking where your other student was. Man, you alright? You seem really out of it."

"No, I'm fine. Don't worry." Sir Aaron replied calmly. It seemed that he had been saying that a lot lately since the words came so easily out of his lips. The Aura Guardian mulled over whether he should really tell Eevee or not where his apprentice's location was, yet in the end he decided to simply be vague about it. That way it wouldn't attract too much suspicion. "He's resting in a room upstairs. Something had gone wrong while we were training, you see." the last part was obviously a lie, and all of them knew it except Trevor. Still, that was the only person that Aaron was hoping the fib would work on. "An accident? That's the first I've heard of it."

"It wasn't too severe, but the boy will have to stay bedridden to recover from the injury."

"Hm, I hope he recovers soon then." by the tone of his voice, it was as if he bought it. The man felt a tiny feeling of relief wash around his mind. The last thing he needed to deal with was more questions-

Out of the blue, the Aura Guardian sensed something that he didn't expect. It was quick, like a heartbeat, but despite its swift entrance and exit, there was no mistaking whose aura it belonged to. He glanced at Lucario, and it looked like the pokémon didn't catch it. Now, he wasn't sure whether it was real, or he was just being paranoid. Either way, it never hurt to be sure. He still remembered where he felt it. "Lucario, a moment, please." moving away from the other two (and telling them that he'll be back soon), he ushered his other student to a nearby corner where they won't be heard by the other party. "What is it, Master?" he asked in a whisper.

"I want you to go to Aiden's room. _Now_."

The steel/fighting type looked displeased. "How come? Is there something wrong?"

"I am not too sure, but I have a grave feeling that we have an unwanted guest."

"Then let _me_ track him."

"No, just protect Aiden. I also need some questions out of this intruder." the jackal pokémon growled in annoyance. "Alright, I will proceed to the room immediately." and with that, he ran off to the other hallway, leaving his teacher alone. With a sharp exhale, he walked out and approached the other two who were waiting for him. "Where's Lucario?" the older brunette asked.

"I sent him to do a little favor of mine." he replied. "Trevor, I apologize, but I must do something important now. Can I ask you to take Eric back to the village?"

"Uh, sure, I guess..." the man knew by the way his friend was speaking that he was serious, and also it was something very important. That also meant no other questions. "Come, Eric, we better leave." Eevee seemed a little confused about them suddenly departing, but he didn't refuse and followed the guy back to the gate. Once their auras were a bit far from Aaron, he rushed to the stairs and headed straight for the library.

-o-

"Deep breathes..." the young trainer let out another shaky exhale as one of his hands was on top of his chest, feeling his heartbeat beginning to finally settle a little. Opening his eyes, he turned to the door, expecting someone to come in at that very moment. Surprisingly, nothing happened. It meant that he was successful in masking his aura. Either that or Umbreon was simply toying with him and waiting for panic to engulf him. No, he wouldn't let that happen.

"Just...calm down..." he kept on muttering to himself. The boy didn't bother to lie down anymore. It would put him at a disadvantage if ever he had to stand up quickly. Nevertheless, when he let his Aura Sense become his eyesight for the time being, he could see that the intruder's aura was moving farther and farther away. It almost made him believe that he was already safe, though he knew he wasn't out of the woods yet.

Out of the blue, a bright blue aura appeared right in front of the door. It shocked him so much that he broke his concentration and let fear take over with the worst possible case scenarios. When the door opened and revealed a serious-looking Lucario, he couldn't help but sigh loudly in relief. "Oh man, you really scared me, you know?" Ash told the pokémon while breaking a small smile.

Said creature didn't appear amused. "You're not hurt, right?"

The ravenette was a bit surprised with the sudden show of concern. "No...I'm fine. Just a bit nervous, that's all."

"Nervous?" _don't tell me this boy sensed what Master was worrying about? How come I didn't feel it?_ "Care to tell me why?"

"Uhm, well, there's..." the teen fidgeted with his fingers, trying to pick his words carefully. "I dunno...I just feel like something's watching me."

Lucario nodded silently, yet he didn't believe that what he said was the whole thing-"Hey, uhm..." the trainer suddenly mumbled. "I never got to thank you properly when you saved me from Umbreon. So...uh, thanks."

"Hmph, I did it for Master. I doubt he would've forgiven me if I left you there."

The boy suddenly looked troubled. "Lucario, is that the only way you see Sir Aaron?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, you always say that he's your master. Don't you see him as a friend too?"

"...being a friend to Sir Aaron would only hinder the both of us, just like what you're doing." the ravenette reacted as if offended by the statement. "Friendship doesn't hinder people, it makes them stronger! How could you say that, Lucario?"

"Because I believe it is true. Have you not noticed what has been going on ever since you came along? You are putting others in danger because you stay here-"

"I'm here to _save_ Sir Aaron, not hurt him."

"You've only hurt him so far." he said bluntly. And despite the child's heart screaming to object, he chose to stay quiet and avoid the gaze that was directed at him. Saying something else would only make it worse, he was sure. In time, the pokémon would understand. Ash just wished that he would realize it sooner. Maybe something bad could be prevented if he was aware of it.

"Lucario," he uttered under his breath to be sure that his companion wouldn't hear it. "you've been doing the same thing."

-o-

"So I was right." the voice made Umbreon jump, dropping the book he was reading in the process. In truth, said intruder was so focused on what he was reading that his senses grew dull and weren't able to see Sir Aaron approaching him. It was already too late to escape without creating a huge commotion. "I wasn't imagining things after all."

"_Tch_." the teen put up a calm and cool front, but inside he was honestly a little scared and angry at himself for being so careless. "And I was getting to the interesting part."

"You're here for Aiden, correct?"

"Why else would I be here?" he followed the man's gaze at the open book on the floor. "Oh, that? I have leisure times too, you know." while saying that, the ravenette was readying an attack; his hand suddenly glowing a mix of black and purple forming in to a sharp claw. "Can't you let someone read in peace?"

"Why do you want Aiden?" the Aura Guardian pressed, ignoring anything else he had said.

"Jumping straight to the point, eh? Well, let's just say that I need him for something. _Something really important_." Umbreon's eyes glowed brighter before he quickly disappeared. Aaron didn't waste any time to dodge the Shadow Claw that came behind him. The man moved deeper in to the room, and when he was in a farther distance, he swiftly created and shot an Aura Sphere directly at his opponent. He evaded it as well, leading the attack to hit the door. Aaron cringed at the damage he made, and that was enough time for his enemy to lunge at him for another move. "Faint Attack." his voice was the only thing for the man to tell that he was still in the room. A split second later, a hard punch on his chest connected, sending him to a nearby pile of books. The sound of them falling made Aaron hope that no one was going to enter the room to see what was going on.

"Looks like I win this one." Umbreon said with a visible sneer.

The pain made him groan, but he wasn't going to give up now. "Not yet." the Aura Guardian grabbed one of the books and threw it right at his opponent's face. The teen effortlessly caught it with his hand. "Is that all-?" out of the blue, he was pinned down to the hard stone floor; his arms rendered useless because the man was clenching them so he wouldn't be able to do anything. "_Let go off me_!" he shouted as he tried to kick himself free. Aaron got a good grip on him though, and so it wasn't before long when he realized that he couldn't escape until he saw an opportunity.

"Now answer my question completely. Why do you want Aiden?"

"...I told you, I need Ash for something important."

"Ash?"

Umbreon laughed at Aaron's confusion. "Don't you know? Aiden is just a fake name he used. His real name's _Ash_. He came from the future to destroy you with the help of Dialga's power."

"I don't believe you."

"Oh really? My father has power that rivals legendary pokémon. He could easily kill you in seconds, and he can clearly see the actions that another legendary takes without them knowing. He saw Ash falling from the sky, and how he went all the way here as if he knew where he was going. He's here for you, Aaron. That's the real reason I'm here. I've been tasked to take your precious student away so that you won't die. I'm not the bad guy here, he is." at this point, the man's hands were already trembling. "As-Aiden would never do such a thing."

"Why don't you ask him yourself? If he truly looks up to you as a teacher, then there are no secrets to hide, right? Do you even know where he came from?"

He gritted his teeth. "No, I do not."

At that moment, Umbreon felt the grip on his arms weaken. Without further delay, he landed a blow on his gut and was able to push him back. "Sorry for using force, but I must be going now. Remember what I said, Aura Guardian. I wasn't lying on a single thing I said." and with that, he jumped out of the window and fled to the forests away from the village. The man was panting as he clutched his chest, but the fact that he didn't really know much about Aiden hurt him much more than the throbbing pain.

He knew he was going against his trust for the boy, but sooner or later, he would need to know if Umbreon was lying or not.

* * *

**A/N: **Hell yeah, updated right on the deadline! /shot

Okay, I terribly, terribly apologize for taking so long. Busy and all that blah. And no, I never intended for Umbreon to tell Aaron about Ash's true identity. The story just kind of wrote itself. I was planning on Umbreon to spill it, yet I guess he's more deceitful than I gave him credit for. o_O

Guys, thanks so much for all the reviews, favs, and story alerts. You have no idea how much that means to me, and how surprised I am that this story gathered so much (I swear, I thought this story was going to fade somewhere in the thousands of fanfics in this fandom or something.)

Err, review please? :3 I'll love you forever if you do. Including criticisms.


	14. Doubt

Chapter 13 - Doubt

At first, Ash was happy to see the Aura Guardian when he entered the room, but once he realized that he had been in a fight, his smile faded. "Sir Aaron?"

To the teen's shock, the man avoided his gaze as if having a hard time looking at him. Lucario also took note of this action and interpreted it as a bad sign. "Did you find the intruder?" the pokémon asked. He nodded once. "He escaped unfortunately." his voice was soft, not focused at his two students.

"Were you able to get some answers from him?" Lucario pressed further. His teacher was silent for a moment before responding. "I did, yet he was...vague about it. There wasn't much importance in what he said."

Ash didn't like the fact that he sounded monotone. "Are you sure?"

"...I...need some time to think. I only came here to check if you were unharmed, _Aiden_." the trainer noticed that his fake name was stressed in a way that sounded almost bitter. There was something sinister going on, alright; he just wasn't sure how bad it was. At that moment, worrisome questions came in to mind. What did Umbreon tell him? Did he say something about him coming from the future? But then, how did Umbreon even know of such a thing? Unless he was also connected to some legendary...

By the time the onyx-haired teen looked up to see if the man was still there, he was already gone; the door had been left wide open. Surprisingly, Lucario was still close by, deep in thought. Ash thought he was going to ask about their teacher's sudden evasiveness, but the pokémon simply gave him a warning. "Be careful, Aiden. His trust in you is wavering." he then exited the room without another word, leaving the boy at a complete loss as to what had happened and what he should do next.

-o-

"Umbreon, where is the boy?"

"He will be here shortly, Father." the teen replied with an almost too confident tone. "I did not catch him yet, but rest assured I was able to take down a threat while I was there." the large figure in front of him looked like he was mulling over what Umbreon had said. "A threat, you say? You are talking about the Aura Guardian that resides in Cameron Palace?"

The black-haired male grinned broadly. "I have stabbed their fragile bond with doubt, Father. It won't be long before everything crumbles between them."

"Are you sure that it will be effective?"

"It's enough to keep them distant for a while, enough time for me to take the boy without too much force." the man (or what seemed to look like a man) now reflected the smile of the Dark Aura user in front of him. "Good. You will continue watching them until you can strike, yet time is not in our side, so you must find an opening as soon as possible."

"Yes, Father." the teen bowed again and turned around to leave the room before he was stopped by the chilling voice of the man that had brought him out of his misery. "Umbreon, I have one more task for you."

"...what is it?"

"...if your brother interferes with my plan again, kill him." he was shocked, so much so that he couldn't reply immediately and lost his composure for a few moments. "_K-kill_?"

"We only have a few days left before war day, and we cannot afford any mistakes, especially a traitor. He will not be your priority though, yet if you see him helping the sacrifice, do not hesitate to take him down as well."

"I...I understand."

Just outside the room, Espeon was listening closely to the whole conversation and felt even more worried about her two brothers. She knew that Eevee was a kind boy, and he would have a hard time to resist helping someone else out. Now her older brother was stuck between having to spare the brunette or following Father's orders. She was hoping that they won't try to confront each other and the child will just stay quiet and hidden..."Eevee, please be okay..."

-o-

"And this would be my house. It's a bit far from the village, but at least it's not too noisy here. Good for when you just want to relax, right?"

"Uhm..." Eevee didn't really know how to respond to Trevor's friendly attitude, yet he couldn't help but feel grateful anyway. It's been a while since he felt the warmth of being cared for, and while he didn't really consider the man as a brother figure or anything, it was something the boy had longed for quite a while. Umbreon hadn't acted like this in years...ever since Father had tightened his grip on the teen.

"C'mon, don't just stand there," the older brown-haired male called as he opened the door to the wooden building. "you still have to see your room. I have an extra one for guests, you know?"

"Ah-uh, but..." honestly, he didn't remember asking if he was going to stay with him for the time being. "I never said that I..."

"Hey, I can see it in your eyes, kid. Either you don't have a home, or you don't have a family."

"_I-I have a family_!" the child shouted back as if angry at Trevor's statement. "I...I have a father, sister, and brother..." his voice trailed off; the boy's eyes looking at the ground. "At least..." he whispered softly. "I want to believe that..."

The man had a confused expression. "So they're like your family, but they aren't? Family isn't always about you sharing the same blood."

"I know, but...I mean...none of us are actually related..."

"Hm, well, we can worry 'bout that later. Y'don't mind staying here for the night, don't you, Eric? I bet your family won't mind." Eevee could do nothing but sigh mentally. He couldn't discuss anything with his man; he would just jump to another topic. It did seem though that he was doing this on purpose and not because he was simply ignorant. No, this guy seemed to be much cleverer than an ordinary person. After all, he was under the same man that had taught Sir Aaron, so he must be more powerful than he was letting on. Yet in truth, the boy couldn't feel any strong aura radiating from him. Eevee didn't sense anything when he first met him, which allowed him to sneak behind the boy easily...in fact, his aura was almost non-existent, and no normal human can ever do that.

"Why...do you want me to stay?" he asked timidly.

Trevor just showed a toothy grin. "I don't really know. There's something about you, Eric. I can feel it." he suddenly went closer to him. "Did you know? Aura Sensing isn't just about knowing when life forms are nearby, but it can tell you all kinds of things about them as well. You can bring it further and learn about their power, their personality, and..." his smile faded to a serious frown. "When they're in pain." he pressed his index finger on Eevee's chest, which made the boy respond in a tiny, surprised yelp. "Your aura tells me that you've been through a lot. A lot more than other adults...a kid like you shouldn't have this kind of aura. One that's _dark_,_ deep_, and _hurting_."

The child couldn't say anything in return and simply let the words enter through his mind, trying to process them. _"Dark, deep, and hurting...is he describing the dark aura swirling inside of me? Or is it something else entirely?"_ he thought. What felt like minutes were merely seconds later when Trevor retracted his whole arm and stretched it. "Mmm, well, whatever." his tone was light again compared to a while ago. "I wonder if Aaron was able to finish what he needed to do...he looked like he was in a hurry." he mused aloud. "Ah, enough time out here, let's go inside and make ourselves comfortable, alright?"

Eevee could only nod. He needed to be careful around this guy...while sometimes he would act like a trusting person, he was very observant as well, and he wasn't too sure yet if the man was doing this out of compassion, or a completely different motive.

-o-

It didn't surprise Ash too much that the same guy who dragged him to this timeline would appear again that night. In fact, he almost expected it, for some reason. "You're back." the trainer was still sitting on the same bed, but he felt much better now. He could probably walk around tomorrow after a good night's rest, but he wouldn't sleep just yet. He needed to ask some important questions to this time traveler first.

"Looks like Aaron has picked up on the scent." Dialga muttered while folding his arms in thought. "I didn't think this would happen, but it seems like there is someone else who knows of my presence."

"So Umbreon _does_ know a legendary?"

"...I honestly do not know. There shouldn't be other legendaries nearby except for Mew, and it's obvious that she won't cooperate with someone who wields dark aura."

"Yeah-wait, did you say 'she'?"

"Well that was her chosen gender for her human form, so would it be wrong to refer her as 'she'?" Ash just stared at the older teen. "Uh..."

"Oh, of course that wasn't what you were talking about." Dialga laughed, trying to lighten the situation they were in, but the trainer didn't even smile. "Hah, I guess Palkia will forever be the funny guy, huh?"

"Who exactly _are_ you?"

"Well, allow me to make a formal introduction. My name is Dialga...hm, how would you explain this? I am not the same Dialga that fought with my brother in Alamos Town; those are actually my 'cousins', in a way. You can say that I am a Dialga from another dimension, here because of a little matter that involves your wish, Ash."

"A-another dimension..?"

"That's right. I know it sounds a tad complicated, but I'm still the same pokémon, and have the same abilities. I'll get to why I'm really here. Ash, the time when Sir Aaron's death is coming soon, and I mean very soon. That boy, Umbreon, will be coming back to take you again. You must be extremely careful, or else you could be the one that winds up dead. I cannot interfere too much with the matter at hand, but I've talked to the Mew of this time about this, and she agreed to save you if anything out of control happens. She can protect you long enough for me to send you back, and then I can change everything to the way it was...before I brought you here. Still, you would need to get Sir Aaron to trust you again. That's would be the first step in to fixing this mess, and possibly saving his life without having me to reset everything."

"D-dialga, by very soon, how much time are we talking about here? I can't just..._approach_ him. Umbreon probably told him something that made him doubt me now-"

"You have no choice, Ash. That war day is coming in two days time. Your only chance is tomorrow."

* * *

**A/N: **Ehehe, updated on the deadline again. OTL

Finally bringing things up to speed...honestly, I had no idea how to deal with a doubtful Sir Aaron, so I decided to dodge it a bit for this chapter. I think it's gonna explore more on it for the next one, hm? As usual, I crammed this chapter pretty quickly even if I had Christmas Vacation (I totally forgot about this till I got back to school) and I should really be going to sleep again. /shot

Review, please? :D

EDIT: Fixed some grammar and words. Thanks to Tanon for helping me. ^_^


	15. Rush

**A/N: **omg, I was seriously planning on giving up on this. Seriously. (because I haven't written in quite a while and just lost the motivation)

But you guys keep reading this story...;3; So much that my conscience couldn't handle leaving this incomplete. *sigh* So I crammed it! I crammed this chapter in probably two or three hours without really thinking where this was going (I hope the chapter is better than I portray it to be). I apologize not for the long update (because I expected it) but more of thinking that I'm going to give up.

Soo...I'll try my best to update this faster during summer (for me, since it's summer in a few days time). Yeaaah. Please review? Reviews keep me going.

I just realized that I missed my deadline by one day. :U And that this story has 100 faves. .3. You guys are amazing. *HUGSQUISH*

* * *

Chapter 14 - Rush

Ash had a hard time falling asleep after Dialga left. Right after mentioned that he had to gain Sir Aaron's trust by tomorrow, he couldn't really think of anything else to say...except for one thing.

_"Why are you even doing this, Dialga?"_ _a legendary wouldn't be helping him just because of one small wish. No, that would be ridiculous. There had to be another reason why the deity of time was aiding him...going through all this trouble just to save someone._

_The blue-haired teen had a surprisingly smug expression. It almost made the boy doubt if he could really trust him._ _"Nothing important, really. Governing over time gives you a distant feel to history, and honestly I do not know how much Sir Aaron will impact this timeline if he were to survive. All I know is that his destiny is to die in two days time..." he turned around, facing away from the trainer. "And it would be interesting if someone like you, the supposed 'Chosen One' can actually do something about it."_

It left the onyx-haired teen with more questions than answers, though it was a start. The fact that Dialga called him 'Chosen One' was far from his mind. He was more focused on what to say to his mentor tomorrow...and was truly anxious about it since many things could go wrong. How was he going to do this? Would he tell him the truth so that he'll cooperate..? It would depend on what Umbreon really told him that afternoon.

With a sigh, he let himself fall on his bed and tried to relax. The boy could feel his heart racing quickly, the thought of confronting the man the next day got him nervous and agitated. He never really dealt with something like this before, and he would rather not let it happen again. Still, if he could play this right, he could save someone's life. If not...

Thoughts like that made him even shakier, so he decided to let his mind drift on the idea of going back home. He missed his companions and his own Pokémon...he normally had his friends to count on, but he was all by himself now. Well, Dialga was there as back-up, but he felt alone. It would be his decisions that were going to influence the upcoming events, not anyone else's...similar to a battle...only the stakes were much higher.

This was one battle he could not lose...no matter what.

-o-

"Aiden..." the boy groggily woke up since someone was shaking him, to his surprise. He never expected someone to come and get him, and once he realized who that person was, his sleepiness disappeared instantly. "_S-Sir Aaron_? Wha..."

"I'm sorry for waking you up this early in the morning, but I...received a note from you...telling me to see you as soon as possible..." Ash blinked. _What note?_

The boy then realized that there was a piece of paper in his hand. Perplexed, he unraveled it and in there was one sentence written to him.

_'I thought you might need some help.'_

"_Dialga_..." he mumbled as he clenched the paper and threw it to the side. The man seemed confused and handed the supposed note he got to the onyx-haired boy. The letter read something about them discussing something important, and if he was asleep when he got there, he should wake him up. Ash was annoyed now; he was planning on taking some time to prepare, but the legendary decided to get him through it already...which was a really bad idea since he still didn't know what to say.

"You didn't write that, didn't you?" the trainer was staring at his teacher now and shook his head. "I thought so, but I wanted to talk to you in private and now seemed like a good time."

_After I just woke up? You have got to be kidding me..._"Sir Aaron, can this wait until later? I would like to eat breakfast first before we talk...whatever you want us to talk about."

The Aura Guardian seemed a little startled and at the same time embarrassed. "Ah, of course...I apologize...I wasn't thinking straight." this surprised Ash since he didn't seem like the type that wouldn't have a clear head. There was something obviously bothering him if he really wanted to talk to him that badly.

The man turned away and exited without another word, leaving him alone in his room. The boy sighed, not sure whether to be relieved that he had more time to think or edgy for what was yet to come.

-o-

Breakfast was very awkward since his teacher was sitting on the other side of the table along with Lady Rin. The only sounds that echoed in the large room were the noises the utensils made while they were being used. Lady Rin did try to keep a conversation going, but it easily died down. Everyone could sense that there was a growing tension, but couldn't really pinpoint who it was coming from.

After the meal was done, the queen asked Sir Aaron if she could speak with him for a moment, and he agreed. Ash watched them as they went off to a chamber nearby and chose to look around the castle for a bit to calm himself. A few servants greeted him good morning and he replied in return, yet not as happy compared to the previous days he had been staying here. The boy couldn't grasp that a war was going to commence the next day...everything looked so peaceful that it seemed impossible. Yet it was going to happen...he knew it was bound to occur eventually.

He headed for the garden and sat on the fountain's edge that was made out of white marble. Nearby were the same stone slabs where he met Umbreon a few days ago, and where Aaron decided to take him under his wing. It hadn't been that long, but strangely it felt like months since that moment when Dialga pulled him here.

Out of the blue, the boy heard the sound of a Pokémon that he used to train, Pidgeot. He looked up and saw said bird gliding high up in the sky to a direction away from the palace. What got his attention was a dark cape that seemed to be on top of the creature..."S-Sir Aaron?"

He jumped out of his resting place and ran straight to the castle. Noticing a butler nearby, he asked him where Lady Rin would be at that moment, and he happily told him where she was. With a quick thank you, he sprinted as fast as he could to the chamber. Once he was in front of the door, he paused for a short breather before he pushed the wooden door open and stepped inside. "Lady Rin?"

Ash gasped when he realized how familiar the room was. What caught his attention the most was the balcony at the far end where a woman was standing. He remembered that this was where he saw the Tree of Beginning for the first time...

It didn't seem like the blond heard him, so he called her name again. Lady Rin turned around and was a little surprised of his appearance. "Aiden? What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry for disturbing you, but was that Sir Aaron on that Pidgeot?"

She nodded. "Yes. I sent him on an important errand. He should be back tomorrow-"

"_No_-!" the outburst left a very short, awkward pause. "A-ah, I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to shout..."

"I-it's alright. Did you need something from him?"

"Y-yeah. I needed to talk to him about something important right now. It can't wait until tomorrow."

"Why not? Is something going to happen?"

The boy didn't know how to reply. Should he tell her that there was a war going to happen tomorrow, or should he lie? "U-uh, what did you send Sir Aaron to do, anyway?"

The queen noticed the sudden change in topic, but she didn't mind. "Oh, I asked him to check around the neighboring villages about their current condition. The destruction seems to be getting worse, and I fear that it's going to reach Cameran soon. We do not have much information about who is causing the damages or their intentions, yet if I were to guess, I think they want a war to start..."

Ash's eyes widened. "They are going to start a war." he muttered.

"Hm? Can you repeat that, Aiden?"

"_They're going to start a war_." he said, louder. "We need to get Sir Aaron back now, Lady Rin! If he leaves, we won't have anything to defend ourselves against the war. We're not going to fight, but we're going to be in the middle of it."

"How are you so sure-?"

"Please, just trust me. Do you have a Pokémon I can use to catch up with Sir Aaron?"

"Well, Trevor should have a Pidgeot of his own, so I believe you can borrow his this time. He might come along as well since this involves his best friend, after all."

"Thank you, Lady Rin. I'll head there right now." the boy said with a quick bow. He then walked briskly out of the room and broke in to a run as soon as he stepped in to the hallway. He missed the soft 'good luck' from the queen and just focused on getting to Trevor's place as fast as possible. He had to warn his teacher, or else he could miss his only chance to change his fate.


	16. Author's Note

So...hey, everyone.

Yep, the dreaded 'Author's Note' chapter is here. You might have been expecting this, you might have not. Either way, you must be thinking of the worst now...the idea that I won't continue this story.

Well, your worst fears have been realized. I'm not continuing _this _story.

Doesn't mean that I'm gonna drop it off. No way.

This story is so popular that it would be a shame to let it rot. At the same time, I am ashamed of my writings back then.

So yes, I'm planning to rewrite this story from scratch. The story will follow the main plot, but I've already written down the Prologue and Chapter 1...and it already has diverged from the original thing that I wrote. Hopefully the one I'm writing makes much more sense and answers questions that I never bothered to answer before. I'm pretty sure that 2 years is a big difference. Yep.

I'm going to be posting the new story in a new account called **Arata Iwaku **(literally meaning 'new story'). I'm still going to use this account mainly for reviewing and new stories, but I'm thinking that all stories I'm going to rewrite will go there. (I can't post it yet since there's still a waiting time).

Thanks so much for all the favs, alerts, and reviews. You have no idea how much I love hearing feedback...

I'm sorry for making you wait so long, but do not worry, this story will live on! And eventually, all of my other stories will follow.

So this one story will be now labeled as the 'old', and a 'new' one will replace it soon.

**May 26 is the day! I hope you look forward it!**

_See ya for now!_

-Steph


End file.
